Bhasani memorabilia left to decay
The historical memorabilia of Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani and different establishments set up by the legendary political leader are lying in ruins at Santosh in Tangail.
The nation observed the 45th death anniversary of the leader, also known as 'Majlum Jananeta', on November 17.
Born in 1880 in Dhangara village of Sirajganj, Bhasani was vocal against the oppressions and injustice committed by the Pakistani rulers. He passed away on November 17, 1976.
His grandson Azad Khan Bhasani, a leader of Bhasani Parishad, said Maulana Bhasani founded a total of 17 institutions, including educational institutions, at Santosh and most of those have been decaying without proper care and preservation.
The Rabeya Basri hostel that Bhasani built for students of Islami University Girls' High School is lying in an abandoned state now. The Suchi Shilpo School that he established for poor woman had also been closed and its tin-roofed structure has collapsed already.
Bhasani's Darbar Hall -- a symbol of communal harmony -- where people from all walks of life, faith and creed used to gather to freely voice their opinions, also needs urgent maintenance and care, Azad added.
Built between April and August in 1970, the Darbar Hall has four-tiered tin roofs supported by wooden pillars and surrounded by three feet brick walls. It has an audience capacity of 500 and a two-foot-high dais from where Bhasani used to give speech.
The first all-party conference that called to establish an independent Bangladesh was held in the Darbar Hall on January 9 in 1971. During the Liberation War that year, the Pakistani occupation forces tried in vain to burn down the historical hall.
On March 8, 1975, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman paid a visit to Santosh and had meal with Bhasani in Darbar Hall. Bhasani was laid to rest beside the hall after his death.
During a recent visit, decaying wooden pillars and frameworks were seen inside the Darbar Hall. Many of the Bhasani memorabilia, preserved at the Bhasani Museum, established beside the hall in 1986, were also found in a deplorable condition.
Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU) was made the custodian of both the Darbar Hall and the museum in 2003.
After laying the foundation stone of MBSTU in 1999, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the authorities to preserve the memorabilia of Maulana Bhasani, said several followers of Bhasani.
Development works worth hundreds of crores of taka were done at MBSTU over the years, but not much was done to preserve the establishments and memorabilia of Bhasani, they also said.
MBSTU staff member Mamun Kabir, who is responsible for looking after the Bhasani Museum, claimed that he was doing the best that he could to protect and preserve the Bhasani memorabilia.
Mawlana Bhasani Research Centre Coordinator Syed Irfanul Bari, who was a close aide of Bhasani and is a part-time teacher of Bhashani Studies at MBSTU, said the Bhasani memorabilia, including the museum and the Darbar Hall, need proper care and preservation for the sake of the country's history and tradition.
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