On Dec. 16 this year we celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the war for the liberation of Bangladesh and India’s spectacular victory against Pakistan. It is also the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. But we must not forget that this was a war against Pakistan’s genocide on the people of erstwhile East Pakistan.
December evenings in Lucknow fifty years ago could be challenging: Cold, dank, dreary and dark, shrouded in a ghostly, hovering mist. The streetlights threw pale and feeble halos of yellow light that added to the ghostly ambience.
The only sign of life perhaps was the distant cry of the peanut seller or the gazakwallah – hawking gazak, that delightfully crisp and flaky confection of seasame seeds (called til in Hindi) and jaggery. These were the best things to have on long winter evenings, made all the more enjoyable if you were sitting somewhere inside, beside a cheery, crackling fireplace with your favourite book.
This was particularly true half a century ago. Even in my memory, it seems like a faraway place, yet those were beautiful and simpler times; people were more genuine, full of heart and warmth. The invasion by the all-pervasive trappings of modern life – TVs, mobile phones, fast foods, AIexa, and a mind-boggling array of digital claptrap would take another quarter of a century to three decades, to make their presence felt.
Nevertheless, those were tumultuous times. In fact, one the most epoch-making events since World War II was about to unfold in front of our very eyes. But it all happened so suddenly that we were quite unaware of it until the moment had immersed and overwhelmed us quite completely.
It was December 16. In time, this date has come to be permanently etched in the annals of world history, forever changing the geopolitics of South Asia. That’s the only reason why perhaps the date and that particular day remains like a permanent marker in my memory.
It couldn’t have been more than 7 pm, but the winter’s chill made it seem more like 10 pm in Lawrence Terrace, a charming residential colony in Lucknow.
My friend Anand and I were taking a walk along the private road that ran through the colony, when we saw an approaching, blurry figure in the distance. Only as he drew nearer could we make out the tall, figure of a middle-aged Sikh gentleman. He seemed to peer all around into the darkness as though he was looking for someone, but not quite sure who that might be.
I stepped forward, wished him and said: “You look lost and worried, Sir. We live here, and we could help if it’s someone’s place you wish to go to here”.
His gaze shifted between the two of us a couple times before he said: “Well, actually, I really don’t know”.
“Now what kind of an answer was that”, we both wondered.
And then he blurted out: “The 13-day war with Pakistan is over (Dec 3-16), India’s armed force have staged one of the most spectacular victories ever, the Pakistan forces have surrendered and a new nation (Bangladesh) is in the process of being born”
This year we celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the war for the liberation of Bangladesh and India’s spectacular victory against Pakistan. It is also the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. But we must not forget that this was a war against Pakistan’s genocide on the people of erstwhile East Pakistan.
He introduced himself as a producer from the Lucknow Station of All India Radio (AIR). “My Station Director asked me to go out and bring back a reaction story that has to go on air tonight at 10 pm”.
It was then that we noticed he was carrying on of those vintage tape recorders which had two spools with magnetic tape.
As feisty 19-year-olds, we took pride in listening to the news from BBC every evening; so today was a big miss. Anand and I were shocked beyond belief and a trifle disappointed we couldn’t actually hear the news, we were nevertheless overjoyed at the stupendous victory of the Indian Armed Forces. As well as the liberation and freedom of a new country
The producer continued in a frantic monotone: “Are there any Bengali residents here you can take me to, so that I could record their reactions”.
I replied “I know just the right person for this. She is not only a Bengali, but more importantly her ancestors of pre-Partition days came from Dhaka, East Bengal”.
He immediately grabbed hold of me like a man possessed. “Please, please…..please take me to her, she could become the cornerstone of my story”.
He nervously blurted out a series of rapid-fire questions: “Do you know where she lives? What is her name? Do you think she’ll agree to meet me in this impromptu manner???
I reassured him that Mrs Konika Bhattacharjea (75) was not only a great sport and fun person, but she was also a very dear, family friend. Her friends/peers called her ‘Connie’, others respectfully addressed her as ‘Didi’. Although, she treated my Mum like an elder daughter, my mother would address her as ‘Aunty B’ and that the reason everyone in our family began to call her ‘Aunty’.
So in the very next instant we traipsed along to ‘Aunty B’s’ house. It was just a few houses away, so it didn’t take long to get there.
When we reached her place, I told the Sikh gentleman “You’d better wait here. I’ll go in and see what she’s doing and inform her that she has an ‘important visitor’ waiting outside.
As usual, Mrs Bhattacharjea was sipping her usual evening drink – rum and hot water with a dash of lemon juice. She would playfully call it ‘Toddy’. She was reclining on a davenport with a light comforter draped over her feet, a light shawl around her shoulders, deeply engrossed in the pages of one of her detective novels.
I cleared my throat, not sure if it would be proper to intrude into her world. But she quickly put me at ease. “Yes go on, what is it, David?”
So I quickly explained what had transpired outside in the last 15 minutes and the earth-shaking events unfolding in Dhaka.
She was thrilled at the prospect of doing a radio interview. “Please, show the gentleman inside. But before you do that, kindly fetch me my dressing gown from the bedroom. It wouldn’t do to receive the gentleman in my nightgown, not the first time at least”, with a note of mischief in her voice.
The interview turned out to be a dream. The lady was in her elements.
When the producer asked her if she could sing “Amaar, Shonaar Bangla”, she willingly obliged and sang three verse of this very famous Bengali patriotic song with gusto and with every note perfectly in tune.
By this time word had gone round that something is going on at Mrs Bhattacharjea’s place. Soon there was quite a handful of people, including my Mum. So all in all the producer was able to garner a great reaction story, including short quotes from Anand and myself.
Looking Back At 50 Years Of Bangladesh Liberation and the Indo-Pakistan War Of 1971. It was also the shining hour for India, the late Mrs. Indira Gandhi and Gen Sam Maneckshaw, the Indian Army Chief at that time.
The day is not just memorable for Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, but also for India. The Bangladesh Liberation War, also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, also marks 50 years of the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War.
On December 16-17, 1971, over 92,000 West Pakistani soldiers, sailors, airmen, paramilitary personnel, policemen and civilians surrendered to India in East Pakistan after 13 days of the war. The victory came at a cost. At least 12,189 personnel of India’s armed forces were either killed, reported missing or wounded with lifelong disabilities.
The Language Movement of 1951 after Pakistan declared Urdu as its national language and refused repeated calls to make Bengali the second national language also helped mobilise the Awami League
The 1970 elections were a key turning point in the history of Bangladesh as they marked the first democratic elections in the country since the formation of Pakistan. The Awami League led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman swept the elections but his party was not allowed to form the government and West Pakistan under Prime Minister Yahya Khan imposed martial law in Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Liberation war lasted for nine months during which time the West Pakistan military along with pro-Pakistani Islamist groups in Bangladesh such as the Bangladesh Jamat-e-Islam and mercenary armies called ‘Razaksars’ are estimated to have killed between 2 lakh to 3 million Bangladeshis and raped two to four lakh women.
Freedom always comes with a price: the blood of martyrs, the indescribable horrors, suffering, pain and anguish of the oppressed, together with the plunder, pillage and rape. But when the oppressors are vanquished, everything is forgotten. Only Joy remains.