Birangana Hasna Banu remembered
"My village didn't accept me, neither did my husband. I had to take shelter in the near-by woods. However, my mother was sympathetic and secretly brought me food, though it was once a day, in the darkness of night usually. This is how I lived until a rehabilitation centre took me in.”
Birangana Hasna Banu's trials thus started all over again after she managed to escape from the clutches of the Pakistani army and their collaborators.
On July 21, a memorial programme was held at the Liberation War Museum for the recently deceased Hasna Banu. A documentary was screened at the event organised by Sammilito Sanskritik Jote. The documentary featured interviews of Hasna Banu. The interviews were recorded when the Birangana visited Dhaka -- invited by Sammilito Sanskritik Jote to inaugurate the Victory Day celebration programme last year.
The memorial programme also included a discussion, participated by noted cultural personality Ramendu Majumdar; social activist Safena Lohani; Mofidul Haque, trustee of the Liberation War Museum; and Golam Kuddus, general secretary, Sammilito Sanskritik Jote. Eminent theatre personality and president of Sammilito Sanskritik Jote, Nasiruddin Yousuff presided over the event. Recitation artiste Hassan Arif was the moderator. In between the speeches, songs and recitations dedicated to the deceased Birangana were presented.
The event started with theatre actor Shimul Yousuff, rendering a sombre song Kando Bangladesh-er manush kando.
In his speech, Golam Kuddus said, "It is unfortunate that we haven't yet accepted and honoured these women who have borne the brunt of the brutality meted out by the Pakistani army and their collaborators. The nation's responsibility towards these women seems to be limited to conferring them with the title ‘Birangana'. The government should give them state honour just like the freedom fighters."
The urge to arrange funerals with state honour for the Biranganas was echoed in other discussants' speeches as well. Safena Lohani described the way Hasna Banu was treated in her hometown Sirajganj after her death.
"Even the freedom fighters often disregard Biranganas. Not a single freedom fighter of Sirajganj attended her funeral. It's a shame for the people of Sirajganj that a memorial programme for Hasna Banu is being held here instead of her hometown," said Safena Lohani, who has been working for rehabilitation of the Biranganas in Sirajganj.
"The Biranganas have buried their inhuman experiences deep inside their hearts. Those who are still alive, deserve our love and warmth," said Nasiruddin Yusuf.
Sagarika Jamali sang Ki hoilo shadher jaan khowaiyya, posing a question how we honour the freedom fighters' sacrifices. Artiste Sharmin Sathi Islam sang Muktir mandir shopan toley and recitation artiste Jharna Sarker recited from Dr. Neelima Ibrahim's classic work Ami Birangan Bolchhi at the programme.
Discussants' also stressed on the demand for trial of the war criminals.
The documentary on Hasna Banu also ends with the resolute Birangana asking in her typical Sirajganj accent, “Aami azakarergo bichar chaai" (I want war criminals to be punished).
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