An ode to a brave heart

In honour of the sacrifice of the first Bengali revolutionary nationalist and first Bengali woman who fought against the division of Bengal,Pritilata Waddedar, the government has named a 12km road from Chattogram's Patiya upazila to Boalkhali upazila after her.

A gazette notification of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges on September 15 affirmed the news.

According to the notification, in Patiya-Boalkhali (Kanungopara), the12 km long road under Dohazari Roads and Highways Department has been named as "Pritilata Road".

"It was our long standing demand that the road from Patiya Club Intersection to Kanungopara in Boalkhali upazila after the revolutionary Pritilata Waddedar. We're happy our demand has been met," said Pankaj Chakraborty, founding president of Birkonya Pritilota Trust in Patiya upazila.

"The historical Jagat Chandra Mahajan saraikhana (inn) is also situated by the roadside," said Pankaj. Late philanthropist Jagat Chandra Mahajan built the inn on the Krishnakhali canal bank during 1927 (1334 Bangla calendar).

"It is said that anti-British Hero Masterda Surya Sen and his associates used to take the road for hide-out during their revolution against the British regime," said Pankaj.

"This initiative was important, as it will make the present generation curious to know about Pritilata and her sacrifice for the country," he added.

Contacted, Motaherul Islam Chowdhury, Patiya upazila parishad chairman, said, "In this way, the present generation would come to know about the history and sacrifice of the anti-British movement heroes of the country."

Pritilata, a close associate of Masterda Surya Sen, was born to a middle-class family in Dhalghat village in Patiya upazila of Chattogram.