It is not often that a handsome, charming and budding cricketer journeying towards his prime throws the bat away and takes up a sten gun. In 1971, the Pakistan Army inexplicably attacked the majority people it claimed its own forcing them to rebel. While politicians gathered to form a government in exile; and when uniformed and trained Bengali soldiers and police and border guards revolted to save the motherland from the attackers, many young people also joined in the epic struggle with little or no training, Cricketer Abdul Halim Chowdhury aka Jewel belonged to this last group. Rubina Hussain's edited book of 'Krirangon Theke Ranagon' (From the sports field to the battlefield) is her second venture at piecing together memories and other aspects of this struggle surrounding Jewel and bears comparable flavour to the first one on Shahid Badiul Alam Tapan Bir Bikram.
The crack platoon, to which Jewel belonged, operated in Dhaka, and by now a legend in our war folklore had become the occupation forces' greatest threat till actual war broke out on December 3, 1971. Of the nearly seventy contributions to the volume, a good number of the writers were Jewel's war mates; and though many others had no direct experience of the war, they were its active supporters.
There are six poems, the opening one by Rajat Huda for Jewel's mother late Firoza Begum. Eminent journalist Mohammad Quamruzzaman cooperated for the production.
Published by Bangladesh Cricket Supporters' Association and distributed by Oitijjo, with a message of goodwill by Shamsul Alam Bir Uttam, the 342-page book is a treasure-trove of stories about Jewel and his arrest with others on August 29, 1971.
It is nice to see decorated war-heroes like Habibul Alam Bir Pratik, Ghazi Golam Dasatagir Bir Pratik, Quamrul Huq Swapan Bir Bikrom, wrote their reminisces of Jewel during war and peacetime (Chapter two). Other war-participants and followers like Major Abdul Matin Chowdhury (Rtd), Hubert Rozario, Abu S Alam MD, Syed M Hashemi (Shelley), Syed Wasif Islam, AFMA Harris, Fateh Ali Chowdhury, Hasan Salahuddin, Raisuddin (Pulu), Asma Nisar, Syed Abul Bark Alvi, Reshma Amin (Alam), Linu Billah and Saima Khan.
We come to know the great hero had been back to the war field as member of the crack platoon after an initial wound he had suffered in the Siddhiganj operation, where the daring Badiul Alam Tapan Bir Bikram had almost single headedly decimated the Pakistani contingent crossing their path.
There is a chapter on the reminisces by close relatives, as also recollections by the likes of Afzal H Khan, MA Momen, Mohammad Mohsen Rashid, Shahidul Islam, Muhammed Mohsen Rashid and Irteza Reza Chowdhury (Lechang), M.R. Khan, Suraya Khan, Dr Parveen Hasan, Ziauddin Ahmed, Sultana Ahmed, Ruksana Ahmed, Ferdous Ahmed (Zayed), Selina Chowdhury, Golam Ghaus Azam (Chanchal), Salma Chowdhury Jubilee (Jewel's younger sister), Shahna Huq Sushmita, Shegufta Tabassum Ahmd, Bushra Binte Amin, Shahidul Islam and Saiful Islam Rabbi.
In the opening chapter, Muhammad Quaruzzaman titled his piece 'Shahid Jewel: one who had thrown away the bat to take up a sten gun'. Even when Jewel had suffered bullet wounds on his fingers, he was thinking about his cricket-future. (Page 95)
This chapter includes write-ups by Abdus Saeed, SM Faruq, Shafiqul Huq Hira, Tanveer Mazhar Tanna, Rafi Omar, Syed Ashraful Huq, Raquibul Hassan, Farkhrul Ahsan Babu, Mainul Huq, Saleq Sufi, Abdus Salam, Aminul Islam, Ghazi Ashraf Hussain Lipu, Naeemur Rahman Durjoy, Sakib Al-Hasan and Rezwan Faruq, all cricketing people and some very close indeed to Jewel. It is nice to see post-Jewel era product like Sakib Al-Hasan has also written in the book.
Chapter three includes write-ups by Dulal Mahmud (editor of Krirajagat), novelist Anisul Huq, Nadir Junaid, Dulal Hossain, Junaid Paikar, Zahid Reza Nur, Md Abul Khair, Sadia Sharmin Thakur and Dinesh Chandra Mahato. For brevity's sake, from them, let us read only these lines from Nadir Junaid:'' Failure to distinguish between real heroes and pseudo-heroes only serves to create an intellectual vacuum and historical ignorance. Rumi, Bodi, Jewel, Azad, Altaf Mahmud and many other freedom fighters were killed in 1971, but they were far from defeated.''
All the pieces of the collection are filled with love and memory for the great martyr Jewel. And yet, for the readers’ ease one could suggest reading Rubina Hussain's preface, Jewel's life episodes in chapter four by her. The 'Operation Petrol Pump' by Golam Dastagir Ghazi, Bir Pratik, details the part played by Jewel with his sten-gun.
An excerpt from 'My Memories of Shaheed Jewel Bir Bikrom' by Hubert A Rozario would throw light on Jewel's arrest: "On the fateful August 29-30, there was a raid on Azad's house and he was picked up by the Pak Army along with others. I was supposed to be in that house but providence spared me as I could not return from the old town on that night. I later met Azad's mother, and she told me that the Pak Army had good tips about the hideout. The soldiers came and caught Jewel by his injured hand and squeezed hard, and in excruciating pain Jewel moaned, calling out his mother."
Another excerpt from 'A Jewel of Our Eyes' by Ishtiaq Aziz Ulfat would also be worth reading: "We, who have been breathing free air of independence and living in this independent country, should remember these heroes every chance we get, as we wait to embrace them as we step into the next world. If heroes are not remembered, then heroes are not born." And still another from the piece by AFMA Harris: "At this time , it is difficult to remember other moments with him, but he did talk in short bursts like his quick singles on the field. Always immaculately dressed on and off the ground, he took pride in his appearance. Never for once I saw him misbehave with anyone. May his soul rest in peace".
Rubina Hussain and co-editor Muhammad Quamruzzm deserve special accolade for the 55-page section at the end of the book named 'smritir janala' (memory's window), wherein photographs relating to Jewel, freedom fighters connected to Jewel, team photos from the stadium and important scoreboards on newspapers have been accommodated. For future writers on cricket all these will be of enormous help.
Everyone suffered in 1971, including the lovable non-Bengali Mushtaq Ahmed, who was one of the first among the sports organisers to die on Pakistani gun fire. Muhammad Quamruzzan's piece on him is a prudent addition.
Sufferings endured by the Bengalis know no limit and have left a pal of gloom on innumerable families for ages to come. A good part of the flower of the youth was sacrificed. They would have led the country in post-independence days. One cruellest cut was the picking up of renowned intellectuals two days before the end and littering their dead bodies on marshes outside the city of Dhaka.
We can only wish our martyred heroes including Jewel everlasting peace in the world after. We live in an independent country because of them.
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