The July Mass Uprising was not a revolution but a step in a longer revolutionary process, emphasized speakers at a seminar on Friday at the RC Majumdar Auditorium, Dhaka University.
The event highlighted the challenges and prerequisites for achieving a true revolution, stressing unity and the involvement of people from all walks of life.
Saeed Ferdous, a professor at Bangladesh Open University, described revolution as a “lengthy process” that requires patience and resilience. “We never saw a mass uprising or such bloodshed with our own eyes; perhaps that’s why we seek instant results. Some deviations are creating apprehension within us,” he said.
Ferdous added: “Obstacles and setbacks are inevitable. But the biggest challenge we face is that while we can question each other, we are unable to coexist afterward.”
Dr Ebadur Rahman, convenor of the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum, echoed this sentiment.
He urged that transforming a mass uprising into a revolution is not an “incident” but a “process.” He cited historical precedents, saying: “The Russian Revolution lasted 10 years, and the French Revolution over 50 years. This (revolution) is a process.”
Essay presenter Jobayer Al Mahmud and Dhaka University Student Union President Meghamallar Bosu highlighted the lack of participation from all sections of society. Jobayer stressed the role of workers in the uprising, noting that after students, workers were the most actively involved group.
“No revolution in the world has succeeded without the union of workers. One could argue that the absence of worker interests being protected is a major reason this was not a full-fledged revolution,” Jobayer said.
Meghamallar pointed to a glaring absence of broader public involvement in the ongoing discourse. “This is the hard truth. There is no public participation in this (discussion). It may be hard to accept, but it is the reality,” he asserted.
