Memories of Bangabandhu

WHAT was he then? An angel? A superman? Or what? He was none of the kind. He was rather something which very few of us in the country could ever be. He was a total human being with all the qualities of head and heart. A tremendously amiable disposition with his whole existence deeply planted into the alluvial soil of Bangladesh. That was precisely why he couldn't don the personality of a so-called 'gentleman' with double standards. Very truly he was an integral part of the land, its hopes and aspirations.Politics was deeply ingrained in his veins right from his student days. Yet, he was never found to have indulged in politics of personal aggrandisement. He didn't belong to that group of people who feign to have been born with a silver spoon between their lips. He came rather from a very common middle class family in rural Bengal thriving on a few acres of agricultural land beside a peaceful homestead. He had his early schooling at his birthplace and, coming of age, he moved to Calcutta. He was at Islamia College and lived in the historic Baker Hostel. Here he had his full political grooming. From this college he graduated in 1947.Yes, I have been so long talking about the greatest Bangalee of the twentieth century, the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. His leadership qualities, dipped in an unending stream of robust manliness, stole the limelight as far back as in 1943. Around this time and by virtue of his immense contribution to his party he was universally regarded as one of the very few highly committed student leaders of the All India Muslim Students' League -- a student wing of the All India Muslim League. At the same time, Sheikh Mujib was a very powerful and active member of the All Bengal Muslim Students' League. Among his eminent contemporaries were Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Nooruddin Ahmed, Shah Azizur Rahman, Shamsul Huda Chowdhury and Abdul Wasek. He was elected a councillor of the All India Muslim League in 1943. Suited much to his immaculate physical stature, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was an imposing personality that could easily subdue obdurate political antagonists. He made his mark among his fellow workers indelibly and he was instantly spotted by none other than Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Abul Hashim. The last election in undivided Bengal was held in 1946 on the issue of Pakistan. In the campaign Sheikh Mujib played a pivotal role, particularly in his assigned district Faridpur and in the other adjacent districts of Barisal, Khulna, Jessore, and Kushtia. He used to move around on motor launches, steamers and boats with Suhrawardy to campaign for the Muslim League. One of the most potential contenders against them was the Krishak Proja Party of Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fazlul Huq. And this was the first time that I met the young. lanky, ever vibrant Sheikh Mujib -- in 1946. I was then a student of class nine and had to join the publicity campaign on the same boat that carried Suhrawardy and Mujib among many others. Most of the places we travelled to by motor launch with Shaheed Suhrawardy and Sheikh Mujib used to be inaccessible strong holds of Sher-e-Bangla. Naturally, reaching people for votes in favour of the Muslim League as against the Krishak Proja Party of Huq Saheb was considered to be an absolutely absurd proposition. At all those places Huq Saheb had already made almost atrocious aspersions among the innocent villagers against Suhrawardy. The few supporters of the Muslim League were seen desperately dissuading Mr. Suhrawardy from getting down to the shore where a large hostile crowd, evidently Huq Saheb's supporters, with black flags, were seen chanting ugly slogans. Suhrawardy was undaunted and determined to go ashore and talk to the people. Sheikh Mujib and a few other student leaders, besides a number of armed national guards, surrounded the leader who held in his hand a microphone. After initial entreaties Mr. Suhrawardy introduced himself to the crowd telling them that he regarded Sher-e-Bangla as one of his 'Murubbis' -- a most revered one. And he added that when Huq Saheb was reported to have doubted Suhrawardy's faith in Islam he was terribly shocked. Yet he thought that he would remove the undesirable notion and misunderstanding created among the local people about his adherence to the dictates of Allah in the Holy Quraan, the norms and principles that should guide every Muslim. He didn't take a second's breather and commenced reciting from the Holy Book and simultaneously translating each piece in his broken Bangla. The result was simply magical, making the entire crowd dumbfounded in a moment. Sheikh Mujib evidently took his first lesson in crisis management from his philosopher and guide. My second and last meeting with Sheikh Mujib took place sometime in the later part of 1952, perhaps after his release from jail (due to his active involvement in the language movement in February of the same year). It was in my hometown Barisal at the gate of the very popular Baron's Restaurant on Sadar Road. He was being escorted by Abdul Karim, a NAP (Bhashani) leader. Karim Bhai was about to introduce me to him when Mujib Bhai stopped him and asked me by name how I was and where my elder Kazi Bahauddin (one of his closest associates of the time) was. He asked me to tell my brother that he was in our town. This was again a highly astonishing feature of this great man. His memory was unbelieveably rich as he could remember anyone by name even after several decades. Sher-e-Bangla had the same quality.Down memory lane the most tragic and diabolically abhorring episode I shall narrate now was all in a dream. In order of chronology it could be the last physical encounter with him. But it was not since I met him when I was deep asleep. It happened, coincidentally, at past midnight of August 13, 1975. I saw Sheikh Mujib climbing down the wooden stairs of a two-storied tin shed bare-footed. I distinctly recall that I was standing at the foot of the stairs. He asked me in his typical style: "Bhai, thou shall not mind if I ask you to bring down my footwear from the room above. I forgot to bring it." My reply was: "I will just do that now. Kindly wait here." Then I ran up and again hurriedly rushed down with his pair of shoes. But he was not there. I cried out loudly and continued audibly for at least 2-3 minutes. I couldn't resist myself. My wife, sleeping beside me, rose in fear. "What happened? Did you have a bad dream?" I sobbed and recounted the whole episode to her. She tried to console me but I couldn't stop for quite some time. And in about twenty-four hours, in the early hours of August 15, 1975, he was gone -- except for his two daughters Hasina and Rehana. All others in the house at Road 32, Dhanmondi Residential Area were ruthlessly murdered. Thus, the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who gave us an independent country Bangladesh lost his life with almost all the members of his family. It is a pity that the four-party alliance government led by BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami cancelled the official observance of August 15 as National Mourning Day. And it is again our good fortune that the highest seat of judiciary has reversed the decision of the BNP-led government and restored the solemn importance of the day. The caretaker government of Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed has, happily for all of us, initiated measures to observe the day with due honour and dignity. Whosoever goes to power subsequent to the December 2008 national elections and those in later years will, we trust, do the same.