Liberation war of 1971 is something which has inspired all sorts of artists in Bangladesh. Hundreds of songs are sung, poetry is written, books are published and numerous films are made basing on different aspects of liberation war.
Yet it seems like that a bigger portion of the glorious war remains undocumented in the popular culture. This is partly because of the genocide conducted in 14th December in 1971, just two days before the country’s independence. The Pakistani army systematically murdered the vast intellectual class of the then East Pakistan, as they were hinted about a looming defeat.
That unprecedented event created a void in detailing different aspects of the liberation war as the intellectuals who experienced those firsthand were brutally murdered. Bangladesh never truly recovered from that massive loss.
Yet the poet, lyricists, novelists and filmmakers of different generations have got their inspirations from the liberation war and produce works of impeccable standard.
Songs and poetry
A multifarious thing like war is best expressed with the highest form of artistic abstraction, which is music and Bangladesh’s liberation war is no different. There are number of songs that create our nationalistic identity and define us as a nation.
Some of the songs, which were created during the turbulent times of the war, have not only become timeless classics but also acted as lethal weapon to reinvigorate the freedom fighters during the war time because of the their powerful lyrics.
The fiery, emotion-filled songs which were played at the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra – a clandestine radio station of the resistance during the liberation war – had become an invaluable instrument of inspiration during the war.
If any article is to be written on the songs of the liberation war, the name Govinda Haldar has to be mentioned with utmost veneration. He was discovered by the news editor of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra-Kamal Lohani during the liberation war. Lohani was looking for emotion-filled lyrics, and he found those aplenty in songs written in two diaries of Halder titled ‘Joy Banglar Gaan’.
All the lyrics of the two diaries had a sense of rhythm and went with the spirit of war. With the aid of legendary composer Apel Mahmud, Govinda Halder created songs like ‘Mora ekti Phul ke bachabo bole juddho kori.’ Another legendary composer made ‘Purbo Digonte Shurjo Utheche’ with Halder’s lyrics. Later, Halder penned another masterpiece ‘Ek Sagor o Rokter Binimoye’ and Apel Mahmud created music for the song.
These songs not only inspired thousands of freedom fighters during the liberation war, but also have become a source of inspirations throughout generations.
Besides songs, various poems on liberation war written by different poets have enriched our popular culture. The most prominent ones were penned by Poet Shamsur Rahman. He has written classics like ‘Asader Shirt’, ‘Swadhinota Tumi’, ‘Tumi Ashbe bole he Swadhnota’. Almost all the poems Rahman had written about liberation later became a part of the text books of Bangladeshi students.
Aside from Rahman, Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury wrote ‘Amar Dukhini Bornomala’, Asad Chowdhury wrote ‘Shahidder Proti’ and Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal wrote ‘Chhobi’ where he depicted post war Bangladesh as a painting, having human skulls as its theme.
Maverick poet Rudra Muhammad Shahidullah wrote ‘Concentration Camp’ where he sketched the brutalities of the Pakistani military camps with his words. He also wrote powerful poem like ‘Batashe Lasher Gondho’. Another legendary poet, Nirmolendu Gun wrote masterpiece like ‘Hulia’ on the liberation war, which also inspire later generations to start protesting against the autocratic rule of the 90’s government.
Films and books
Films have always been considered as the most powerful medium in preserving and documenting the past events. There are lots of movies made on the liberation war of Bangladesh, mostly by the directors of the post war generation. As time passes, the number of films on the topic has lessened but there has been good films recently.
Legendary filmmaker Zahir Raihan made Let There Be Light and his acclaimed documentary Stop Genocide. This master filmmaker mysteriously disappeared right after the liberation war. Many people linked his death with the mass killing of intellectuals on December 14. It is being agreed upon consensus among the film society of the country that if Zahir Raihan had been alive today, we could have had a string repository of powerful films made on war.
Chashi Nazrul Islam made Ora Egaro jon, Shongram, Megher Pore Megh and Hangor Nodi Grenade; Shubash Datta made Arunodoier Ognishakkhi, Tanveer Mokammel made Nodir Nam Modhumoti and Toukir Ahmed made Joy Jatra.
Some of the films were made from classic books on the liberation war written by different writers. The first name that comes in this category is the most popular writer of the country, Humayun Ahmed. Humayun Ahmed wrote his classic Aguner Poroshmon on the war and later he made a film based on the book. The film got several awards in both home and abroad. Later, Ahmed also made another movie named Shyamol Chaya from his own book of the same name.
Humayun’s own brother Muhammad Zafar Iqbal wrote the most famous children’s book on the liberation war named Amar Bondhu Rashed. Acclaimed filmmaker Morshedul Islam later made a film out of that. Another famous book of writer Sayed Shamsul Haq titled Nishiddho Loban was made into a film (Guerrilla) by the freedom fighter and film maker Nasir Uddin Yusuf Bacchu. Bacchu earlier made a film out of Shahariar Kabir’s book Ekatturer Jishu.
Aside from the books, which were made into movies, some of the best literary works on liberation war includes Jochna o Jononir Golpo by Humyaun Ahmed, Ekatturer Dinguli by Jahanar Imam, Maa by Anisul Haque and Ami Virangana Bolchi by Nilima Ibrahim.
Perhaps the most critically acclaimed literary work on the liberation war was written by writer Akhtaruzzaman Ilias. Many critics considered his masterpiece Chilekothar Sepai as the best book written on the theme of liberation war. The book details the psychological journey of a man during the turbulent period just prior to Bangladeshi independence in 1971. This novel also contains what is arguably the most authentic description of life in the old and distinctive part of Dhaka.
