Journey through the history of independence

Time and again, the history of the war of liberation of Bangladesh has been revisited by historians, scholars and freedom fighters. The outcome of this is a number of books which depict different aspects of the movement and struggle for independent Bangladesh liberated in 1971. This is a difficult task as historical events need not only chronological description, but also careful interpretation and contextualisation.
Nevertheless, the history of independence has been described and analysed by different people over the last four decades from different points of view. Thus more than a thousand books on the Liberation War and the Independence of Bangladesh are now available, mostly in Bengali. And many of the books failed to present the historical facts, events and analyses accurately or in a balanced manner. So, it is important to exercise some caution while selecting and reading the books on the Liberation War. This piece briefly goes through some 'must reads' on war of liberation in 1971 and relevant historical events.


Professor A F Salahuddin Ahmed, an eminent historian of Bangladesh as well as South Asia, who died in 2014, very categorically pointed out that the War of Liberation (Muktijuddho) in 1971 was not a sudden occurrence or a hurriedly organised event, rather it was the outcome of long struggle of Bengalis for their soul searching and their greater socio-cultural freedom.  In his book 'Bangalir Shadhona O Bangladesher Muktijuddho' (Adoration of Bengalis and Liberation War of Bangladesh) he established the proposition backed by historical facts and analyses. The book contains nine articles simultaneously describing, examining and analysing the origin and evolution of Bengalis.
One of the first-hand accounts of the Liberation War is presented in 'Shadhinata Amar Rokto Jhara Din' (Independence is my blood-sheding days) by Begum Mushtari Shafi. It is a classic book on the country's freedom struggle. The author has been a writer, radio artiste and activist since 1970. During March, 1971, she, like many other millions of Bengali housewives, faced the most turbulent time of her life. Her husband, an eminent dentist in Chittagong, along with her younger brother was abducted by Pakistan Army with the help of their collaborators. Mushtari Shafi was thus forced to leave her home along with her children. After a lot of trouble they crossed the border and reached Tripura. Later she took another long journey to reach Kolkata and joined Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra (Free Bengal Radio Station). It was interesting that Mushtari Shafi's residence in Chtittagong, Mushtari Lodge, served as an initial platform of the radio station. This book is basically the diary she used to write in those days of not only horror and fear but also of optimism and fight in 1971.  Written in Bengali, the book carries importance for several reasons. First, it is a first-hand account of the freedom struggle. Second, it is a document of a brave woman who fought for the independence of her country within her maximum capacity. Third, it is a vivid reflection of ordinary people's unbearable pain and sorrows. Fourth, it contains a series of inside stories of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra and some of those that are not desirable also.


Faruq Aziz Khan served as the personal secretary to Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed who was running the Bangladesh Government in exile in 1971. His book 'Spring 1971' is a 'Centre Stage Account of Bangladesh War of Liberation.' In the book Mr Khan describes some crucial incidents that took place inside the Bangladesh government in exile. He also presents his as well as some other people's sufferings and struggle to survive against the enemy in those days. The author was serving as director of the Swedish Institute of Technology in Kaptai, Rangamati. When Pakistan's army reached the remote town to extend the 'Bengali cleansing operation', he abandoned his family and everything and ran away for survival. He trekked through an unfamiliar terrain of hills and forests of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Mizoram and reached Tripura. From there he reached Kolkata and finally got the opportunity to work with Mr Tajuddin Ahmed. During his journey from Kaptai to Kolkata he faced a lot of experiences. Some of those are shared with the readers in the book. A Bengali version of the book was published two years back.
The history of 1971 and the independence of Bangladesh is not fully above any controversy, as there is always a deliberate effort to distort the history on independence by a section of politically-biased people. Eminent scholar Ghulam Murshid comes up to challenge such ill efforts with his book 'Muktijuddho O Tarpor: Ekti Nirdaliyo Itihas' (War of Liberation and Thereafter: An Impartial History). This is a well-researched book which contains historical facts and incidents in a lucid manner to get a clear picture of the origin of the Liberation War as well as post-liberation political development in the country.  


Professor Mokerrom Hossain, a professor of criminal justice and sociology at Virginia State University in the United States, writes the book titled 'From Protest to Freedom: The Birth of Bangladesh' for the 'New Generation.' The author himself took part in the Liberation War in 1971. In his deeply researched book, he argued that "the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent country needs to be viewed as a cumulative result of a series of protests that might be called a series of social movements...Bangladesh was the product of collective protests or actions on the part of Bengalis of East Pakistan to reorganise the system of government administration that was imposed upon the Bengalis by the minority leadership of West Pakistan." His book is an academic effort to address the non-political and non-party is an explanation of the political history of Bangladesh.

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