No recognition for a veteran

Language veteran Nurul Alam

Language movement veteran Nurul Alam, 79, who has been living with much hardship at Voakhali village under Narail municipality is still looking for any national recognition.
Nurul Alam was born at Lohagara in Narail district in 1934. He got involved in the Language Movement in 1949 when he was a student of Jagannath College. He used to join different meetings and processions with his elder brother Shamsul Alam, who was then a student of Dhaka Medical College.
Later in 1952, he also got himself admitted into Dhaka Medical College. Since then, he became more active in the Language Movement under the banner of all party students forum.
Nurul Alam said with pride and glory that on February 21, 1952 after the meeting of the All-Party Students Action Committee at Battala (under the banyan tree) of Dhaka University, he joined the procession along with his elder brother violating section 144 as per the decision of the meeting.
Police charged the students with baton and the procession was dispersed. They took shelter in the Medical College hostel. At 3pm, being reorganized they began to bring out demonstrations again. Suddenly, the police fired on the procession – Shafiur got bullet injury.
He along with his brother and fellow students rushed Shafiur to the Medical College Hospital. On the way, he breathed his last. The next day he joined the protest procession.
He feels proud that he took part in the construction of the very first Shaheed Minar which had been damaged afterwards by the police.
With a sigh, the weak and feeble hero of the  language movement added that to escape arrest he left the college hostel. For some months, he tried to go back to his studies living outside, but considering the situation, he finally had to give up studies and his long cherished desire of being a physician came to an end.
After that he joined Chittagong Steel Mills as a clerk and retired in 1992. Since then he has been living in with his wife, three sons and one daughter.
Now, at age 79, Nurul feels proud because February 21 is being observed as International Mother Language Day.
Nurul Alam dreams that the new generation will be able to lead the country for a better future and will remove illiteracy, poverty, corruption, communalism and exploitation from Bangladesh.
With disappointed he said that the goal in which they fought for mother language is yet to be implemented. He added that now he is eighty years old and don't know how many days he will be alive but he strongly believes that Bangla will be used in every sphere of national life in the future.
He urges the government to pay a little attention to those who worked for upholding the dignity of the mother tongue in 1952 language movement and take initiative so that language heroes get state honour.