Mourning for Mujib
The assassins find a calm fifty five year old man standing in the front veranda of his house, with a smoking pipe in his hand. “Sir, please come with us,” one of them urges. As the team brings him down the stairs, he shouts, “Where are you taking me?” At this point, one of them opens fire and shoots the man.
And thus began the tragedy of 15 August, 1975: the day when the rebel among rebels, the leader who inspired and led his countrymen to freedom, the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was murdered, along with all the family members who were present at the house.
More than three decades later, our country still commemorates the great tragedy that occurred on this day. You can also observe this day by yourself or with your friends or family, in remembrance of Bangabandhu.
Read
The Unfinished Memoirs is the incomplete autobiography of Sheikh Mujib. In the book, he described his childhood, his political and social movements, his life in and out of prison, etc. He also expressed his views on leaders such as Maulana Bhashani, A.K. Fazlul Haq, Gandhi and many others. See the leader up close and personal, glimpsing into the family and political life of Bangabandhu.
Watch
YouTube has many video clips of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The leader was a powerhouse of charisma. The electrifying speech on 7 March, 1971 at Ramna Race Course is just the tip of the ice-berg. Of course, he made many other speeches and public appearances, attended press conferences and gave interviews to journalists. You will find some of these on YouTube. Watch them, and feel the overwhelming confidence, passion and magnetism that eventually pushed a people to its freedom.
Visit
Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, located in Dhanmondi, used to be the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It has been converted to a museum. This is the very house where he and the family members who were present there, were murdered. Marks of bullets hitting the walls and other evidences testifying the terrible tragedy have been conserved. There is also a new multi-storied annex museum in the same premises.
Work and pray
Pray for the departed souls. But perhaps the biggest way of paying respect to this great leader is to try to be a good citizen, follow his footsteps and work towards building this nation. Only then can we say we have paid the rightful tribute to Bangabandhu.
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