Ziauddin Tarik Ali, one of the trustees of the museum, began the discussion. Ali said, " The LWM has always tried its best to keep the memories of the war alive and uphold the values that inspired our nation to fight back. The masses have been a great encouragement in our endeavors. To commemorate the Victory Day (December 16), the museum has organised special programmes that include an exhibition focusing on the role of women in the war. The cultural programmes and this discussion are also a part of the programme."

On March 22, LWM will step into its 10th year. Ali added that the museum would arrange programmes to celebrate the occasion.

Next on stage were two authors, Shyamoli Nasreen Chowdhury and Shaheen Akhter who expressed their views on the role of women in our Liberation War.

Akhter, a talented writer, who received the Prothom Alo award in 2004 for her novel Talaash, said, "The role of women in our Liberation War is underrated. To be more precise, the issue of our women who were tortured inhumanly by the Pakistani army is still vague and is intentionally left in the dark.

"Thirty four years have passed, yet these women cannot share their painful stories. The portrayal of this particular phenomenon is misrepresented in the media as well. Either it is used as a cheap means to tantalise the audience, or it's depicted in an overly romanticised manner. For example, the other day I watched a film where the filmmaker (a male) implied that a woman was being sexually abused by the Pakistani soldiers and the metaphor he used was a georgette saree gracefully flowing in the air, making its way down. I have no idea what made him think that 'rape' is a beautiful, romantic experience!"

Akhter added, "When I was writing Talaash, I did my research on these women and talked to quite a few of them. The picture they painted of those times was a far cry from what is depicted in movies, TV plays or literature. A woman who was imprisoned in a camp in Jessore for six months said, she could not sense anything during that time; her body had lost the ability to feel and comprehend the surroundings. She had to walk miles, which she has no recollection of. It was when she felt the scorching pitch burning her feet, she realised she was in the city limits.

"This generation doesn't get the opportunity to hear these stories. These women were forced to remain low profile because of social stigma. Many of these women were abandoned by their families; losing everything they could call their own -- a punishment for crimes that had been committed against them."

An emotionally moved Shyamoly Nasreen Chowdhury said, "It is one of the greatest regrets of our nation that even after all these years we cannot justly evaluate the role women had in the Liberation War. Most people don't realise, if it weren't for our mothers, wives and sisters, we wouldn't have millions of freedom fighters willing to risk their all in the war. Our women had encouraged their sons, brothers and husbands to fight for our freedom. Our mothers fed the freedom fighters, provided them with warm clothes, passed on important messages to them, warned them when the Pakistani military were approaching, even to the extent of carrying grenades and hand-bombs.

"Yet when these women were raped and tortured by the Pakistanis, they were socially marooned; as if they'd become pariahs overnight. How could we do that? I cannot write about other aspects of the war as long as I'm not convinced that their sacrifices have been honoured."

After the discussion, recitors of the cultural organisation, Kanthasheelan, read excerpts from writings by noted female authors like Jahanara Imam, Panna Kaiser and others.

'Muktijuddho O Nari' ended with the discussion, recitation and a screening of a short film Narir Kotha.