Toronto-based guitarist Naushad Rahman found himself helpless, 12,000 kilometres away in Toronto, during the July uprising.
“Abu Sayeed’s defiance shook me to the core,” he says. “When I saw their bravery, and people from all walks of life joining the movement… my faith was restored.”
He poured these sentiments into a guitar riff he had, and the words began to form:
bhangbo… ami gorbo
amra korbo joy
duhshomoye ami lorbo, ami ar kori na bhoy
It was as if everyone in his circle of musicians and friends had the same sentiment and energy. “Everyone was super amped,” he says. Together with co lyricist Sanjid Anik, he says, “we had the song done in no time.”
The song brought together a new band, taking the name Warlaw. Toronto’s decades-old Bangla rock and metal scene are represented in the sound: the thundering riffs, the furious solos, the sounds of warfare echoing through the guitar tones.
Non-resident Bangladeshis, despite being physically removed from the events of July 2024, were nonetheless active. There were reports of demonstrations in major cities around the world, and in the case of the UAE, were even arrestedfor it. The unity on the streets of Dhaka was mirrored in the Bangladeshi diaspora. “I had never seen this unity,” says Naushad. “I didn’t know it was possible.”
Australian musician Amitav Islam says he saw unity across divides in Perth also, during the uprising. “Majority of NRBs in Perth were showing full support in July—even the AL supporters to some extent. Nobody could support the killings of students.”
Like the Torontonians, NRBs demonstrated in downtown Perth. They also collected signatures and petitioned the Australian federal government to condemn the killings in Bangladesh.
Amitav says his tribute to the martyrs of the movement, “Hobei Bijoy” was composed well before August 5. The song’s dark, sombre sound resounds heavily with the power of defiance that had taken hold on the streets in July.
rokte bheta rajpoth deyal
bigoto golpo shonay
ekaki jubok dripto hunkare
shoshoker chokh rangay
“I was very confident and hopeful that our youngsters will definitely win the battle and the war—which they did.” Amitav acknowledges that the war is not ultimately over, and how the future unfolds remains to be seen.
The video of Amitav’s tribute highlights the artwork of Debashish Chakrabarty, another NRB artist whose distinct and powerful posters based on the uprising’s slogans and messages rallied supporters around the world.
Over in Los Angeles, rapper jbbrsh remembers the fear and uncertainty during the internet blackouts, being unable to communicate with family members back home, and his aunt being attacked during a protest.
But at the same time, jbbrsh points out, there were protests going on in different parts of the world. Bitter anti-government protests were going on against President Ruto in Kenya, and in Venezuela where incumbent president Maduro was accused of election fraud—not to mention anti-war protests all over the world.
“It [the July Revolution] was a beacon of hope for the world,” says jbbrsh. His lyrics about the July Revolution are clearly inspired by nationalistic pride, and by the strength and unity of the movement, and portray the victory as an example to the world:
Around the world
Eyes watch BD
Please take note so my brothers and sisters that be
In Philistine can be free
Unconditionally
“I am extremely proud of my Bengali heritage. I have always considered Bangladeshis to be so indestructible,” he says, giving the example of Bangladeshi migrant workers who go to countries around the world, not even knowing the language, yet carving themselves a foothold, and establishing themselves. Examples of this resilience, he says, are visible throughout the country’s history, and how it has pulled itself out of numerous challenging circumstances resulting from colonialism, disasters, etc.
From the rubble we ascend anew
From the dirt we rise and bloom
“After years of being unhappy with the people in power. It felt as if we had won our independence again. And I just had to write about it. We had to celebrate the freedom that we had yearned for so long.”
The revolution never ends
Despite the hope and optimism a year ago, the rise and bloom has proven, as always, to be a long and complicated process.
“The force that we have seen, fascism—we have not seen the end of it,” says Anik. “After every revolution, the rebuilding depends on many things. The fact remains that in this 21-day revolution, 16 years of fascist rule crumbled.” That emotion, he says, still stands.
But in the opening verses of their song, I thought I found a subtle acknowledgement of a revolution that doesn’t take the form of a bombastic 20-day victory, but one that is insidious, and permanent:
andhare dekhe nilam shuddhotar prohori
andhare shune nilam lal chander lohori
rajpothe amader ojachito shopno
tumi ke? Ami ke?
bikolpo, bikolpo
Elements of revolution that are ongoing, and remain active in the dark, away from the limelight, and feed the revolution long before the eruption like that of July 2024. The protectors of truth (shuddhotar prohori) are people who nurture, seek, guard or speak the truth, like Banksy or Shubodh, says Anik. “They generally remain in the darkness. Creating graffiti that instigate or provoke thoughts in the masses.”
When the unseating of a power looks unthinkable, these people carry the spark. And the people carry the spark. And the alternative.
Anik says: “When any authority says that ‘we don’t have any alternate course of action; that was the best option,’ I believe we are the alternative. And we build that alternative, from the ground up.”
