Kismat an unsung hero of Liberation War
He sets up school in memory of his martyred wife, two children
Kismat Ali, an associate of freedom fighters, set up a school at remote Kachuahat near his Putimari village home of the district's Saghata upazila in memory of his wife and two children who lost their lives in a mine blast during the Liberation War.
He founded Kachuahat Shaheed HRM Girls' High School on one and a half bigha of land, spending most of the Tk 2000 that he received along with a consolation letter from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1972.
As the founder headmaster, Kismat Ali started the school with 40 students and six voluntary teachers and continued its development with support from local people. In 1989 his friend Dr Mubarrak Ali, former chairman of Comilla education board, helped him to upgrade the institution to secondary level. Now the school with about 600 students and 20 teachers is running with good reputation.
Recently, Kismat narrated the horrifying tale of losing family members in 1971.
"During the Liberation War, Saghata thana (now upazila) witnessed Pakistan occupation forces' torture, arson, rape and looting. On the night of November 2, a group of 20 freedom fighters took shelter at my Putimari home. I arranged meal for them. As local Razakars informed Saghata Pak army camp of the matter, freedom fighters left the place early in the morning and told me to leave too.
"I hired a cart to shift my family and belongings to a remote place. As the cart reached Bhangamore, it hit a powerful land mine that had been set by freedom fighters to destroy military patrol van of Pak army.
"The explosion killed the cart driver, and passengers including my wife Rawshanara Begum, eleven-year-old son Hamidul Huq and three-year-old daughter Mukta.
"I and my elder son Asadul Huq were saved, as we were two hundreds yards behind the cart," said Kismat, now 80, suffering from old age complications.
H of HRM school stands for Hamidul, R for Rowshanara and M for Mukta.
Kismat Ali also wrote two books in English -- Humanity and Justice. Humanity has already been published and the other is waiting publication.
Nasiruddin Mahmud, present headmaster of Shaheed HRM Girls' High School, said, “We are proud to work in the institution founded by Kismat Ali, an unsung hero of Liberation War.”