Sangbad at sixty
SIXTY years ago, the daily Sangbad made its appearance in what was then East Bengal/East Pakistan. It was a time when the earliest indications of an emerging Bengali nationalism were to be detected. Sangbad, however, was not quite disposed to such causes in its initial stages, which again was quite understandable given the prevailing nature of politics at the time. And yet a moment came when Sangbad made that crucial choice of going for a defence of the cause of the Bengali people, a cause that not only focused on the need for a greater say in the politics of Pakistan for them but also on the necessity of a preservation of the heritage that underscored the Bengali social psyche. By the 1960s, it was Sangbad that was informing people insistently that the rights of the people of East Bengal could only be ignored at risk to the very state itself.
In these six decades since it made its appearance in our lives, Sangbad has truly upheld the causes that over time were to reinforce our argument in defence of autonomy and then our conviction that East Bengal/East Pakistan could only attain its objectives through charting an independent course for itself. Its position on the various issues affecting the Bengali nationalist cause was made clear through its upholding of a secular brand of politics in what would soon be Bangladesh. In many more ways than one, Sangbad came to be reflective of the national spirit, the life force that was to culminate in an independent statehood for the people of this land. And in the years following the emergence of Bangladesh, Sangbad remained steadfast in its belief that politics assumed significance only when it spoke for the people. To this end, it made its position vis-à-vis the military dictatorships that foisted themselves on this country unambiguously clear. Its consistent promotion of the democratic cause, coupled with its belief that the state could only reach its cherished goals on the basis of a secular polity, fuelled its acceptance among broad sections of citizens.
Today, Sangbad can look back with pride at the long road it has travelled. For journalism today, it remains a point of reference. It is a symbol of what newspapers ought to be --- liberal, always evolving and therefore home to new ideas. Our congratulations go out to everyone who has contributed to the rise and consolidation of Sangbad as a leading voice in the articulation of popular aspirations.
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