Prior to her book people generally, including myself, were led to believe that the struggle's public leadership centered narrowly around a/the male leader/s, particularly in political organizations, with perhaps the notable exception of Motiya Chowdhury.

Zobaida's work is an effort to understand the interplay between gender and women's nationalism within a historical and political context.

The book contains twenty-nine narrations of ethnic women from various parts of Bangladesh who played a crucial and various roles during the Liberation War. It records their historical and family background, as well as their revolutionary and democratic movements and political struggles. I believe without their participation both in strategic and tactical sense during the period of democratic struggles, our national liberation goals would have been more difficult to achieve.

There are two specific contradictions in the book. The first concerns the title of the book, which leads us to believe that it is a book about women. However, many indigenous men who joined the struggle for national liberation are recorded in the book. So she should not have used the term 'Nari' (Women). The other one is also related to the title of the book, specifically the term 'Parbatya' (Hill-Areas). That is, along with hill women (Parbatya Nari) there are many ethnic women from different plain districts of the country who are discussed. Only four indigenous women from Parbatya Chittagong or Chittagong Hill Tracts, the areas that are officially recognized as Hill-country, are mentioned. So the use of the word 'Parbatya' is problematic and, in my modest opinion, unnecessary.

Zobaida has failed to give us her research methodology. The materials she gathered for her study, specially the information on tea gardens, are from Dipankar Mohanta's Mukti-Juddhe Bangladesher Cha-Sramik. The mention of source materials for Ahlhya Chasha, Lakkhi Rani Lama, Dhani Karmakar Revati Mahali, etc., has been questionably omitted.

In her preface Zobaida eulogizes the role of Chakma chief Tridiv Roy during the revolutionary struggles. But, to my surprise, she does not mention Marma Mong chief, whose prime contribution to the liberation is unforgettable.

Apart from these errors, surprisingly there is no table of content. Also, there is no index. These are some weakness in her academic approach and research.

I, belonging to one of the indigenous communities of Bangladesh, the Marma community, however welcome her survey of ethnic women and their contribution to the Liberation. I believe every one will enjoy reading this book.

Ven. Chipamong Chowdhury is a young Marma research student.

Extract

(Translated by Farhad Ahmed)

Kakon Bibi
Kakon Bibi was present the whole time during the whole ferocious battle that place in Sunamganj. The Pakistan army base was to the north of Joya, deep in the jungle. Learning of the presence of the base Kakon Bibi hurried over to the Mukti Bahini. She gathered together the freedom fighters from various Mukti camps, and then sped towards the army base. On their path lay a river. By constructing makeshift rafts from banana trees the freedom fighters crossed the river by twos and threes. Then, nearing the army base, they divided into two groups in order to attack them from two directions.

One group rushed to the nearby bridge, the one that linked Sylhet to Sunamganj. The Mukti Bahini blew the bridge to bits with bombs. Then they attacked the army base from two directions. In an instant the news spread like wildfire. On getting the news Pakistani army reinforcements from Sylhet rushed to the battle, but they were forced to go back when they came up to the demolished bridge. The battle between the Pakistan army and the Mukti Bahini raged for one whole day and two nights. At one stage the Pakistan army ran out of ammunition and were forced to surrender to the freedom fighters. The latter raised slogans of 'Joy Bangla.' Kakon Bibi, when relating the events of that day, said 'At one stage we had surrounded the enemy and were shouting 'Joy Bangla', when one soldier on seeing me and recognizing me, shouted out 'Aray, this is the same woman, I always suspected that she was one of the Mukti Bahinis.'*

(*Kakon Bibi had earlier been arrested and kept at a Pakistani army camp, only to be released on condition that she spy and report on Mukti Bahini activities. She, of course, promptly chose the opposite course of action.)