Part Ten
A visit to Dhaka’s Muktijuddha Jadughar
By A.H. Jaffor Ullah
A visit to Dhaka’s Muktijuddha Jadughar
By A.H. Jaffor Ullah
Monday, July 2, 2001
In just few short days, I will be heading back to New Orleans after spending about 37 days in Bangladesh. I am scheduled to leave on July 7, four days from today. I promised Ekram Kabir of Daily Star, who now works for Ekushe TV, to stop by to say hello to him. I was able to get a ride from Gulshan to Kawran Bazar at around 11:00 AM. Ominous-looking monsoon clouds were gathering all over the sky. Still then, I took a chance. On my itinerary was Bangla Academy’s book selling center and Mukti Juddha Jadughar (MJJ). Ekram Kabir was very happy to see me. We chatted for a while and then I told him “I need to go to Bangla Academy.” I added, “Ekram, can I take a Babytaxi to Bangla Academy?” He said, “Plenty of Baby taxis are available right in front of our office.” I looked in the sky. It was threatening to rain any moment.
The Babytaxi ride took me hardly 10 minutes to get me from Kawran Bazar to the good old Burdwan House, which had been renamed Bangla Academy a longtime ago. The book selling center of Bangla Academy was closed for lunch. I had to spend about half an hour before it will reopen at 1:30 p.m. Luckily, I had the camera with me. I took several shots of the famous Burdwan House. There stands a humongous banyan tree right in front of the house. In my judgment, this is the grandest banyan tree in entire Dhaka. In a separate article on old Burdwan House, I will write in detail the architecture and awesome beauty of this early twentieth century architecture. One cannot but write the beauty of Burdwan House without mentioning the charm of the old banyan tree. I will then share the photos of this gigantic tree.
After buying quite a few Bangla
books published by the Academy, I came outside the main gate and found
a rickshawallah waiting eagerly for a Shawari (rider). The Jadughar
is very close to Bangla Academy. It is located to the East of Ramna
Park while the old Burdwan House is on the opposite side of the park, i.e.,
to the West. The ricksha rode through a road that goes in between
the Curzon Hall and the old High Court Building. This is not an unfamiliar
territory for me. As a teenager, many a time I had to ride the bus
from Farmgate to Gulistan. Lucky for me that the rain started while
I was in the ricksha. It was falling very lightly. I was concerned
not for myself but for the new books that I just bought. In no time,
the rickshawallah made a left turn in front of the old USIS library that
is located opposite to the Press Club. The Liberation Museum Building
is located little further down the road. The area is popularly known
as Segun Bagicha. Fortunately, the rickshawallah knew the building.
He was about my age but looks emaciated and a bit older. I gave him
more money than he asked and that made him quite happy. As I alighted
from the ricksha, he gave me a big salam in gratitude.
This is the view of
the courtyard that houses a cafeteria
There were several guards standing outside the gate of the Muktijuddha Jadughar. There was a minor problem. They would not let me go inside the Jadughar with my camera. They took all my books and the camera and then gave me a token. That suits me well. I asked for Mr. Akku Chowdhury, the founder-director of this well-known museum. I am not exactly a stranger to Mr. Akku Chowdhury. In the past, we communicated with each other through e-mail. Besides, a year ago in August 2000, Jamal Hasan, one of the 71 activists and a writer, met Mr. Chowdhury while visiting the museum.
One of the guards showed me Mr. Chowdhury office but he told me that Mr. Chowdhury has gone outside for lunch. That gave me an ample opportunity to roam the museum compound. A wall enclosed the entire museum and other adjoining rooms and offices, which is very normal for Dhaka. The museum building--a two-storied house-- is an old structure. It was renovated extensively to house the museum. There is an outdoor open-air auditorium in one corner. In addition, I saw a bookstore that has many books on 1971 War and our freedom struggle.
The landscaping of the museum impressed
me very much. Unlike other places, the museum compound was kept very
clean and well maintained. I went straight to the cafeteria where
I had some snacks and cold drinks. The outdoor seating arrangement
was very nice. There were some shady places. Giant permanent
umbrellas were erected to filter out tropical sunrays. The rain that
threatened all this morning fell a moment ago but stopped suddenly.
Since I was waiting for Mr. Akku Chowdhury to return from his lunch, I
didn’t mind being there under one of those umbrellas. I noticed some
college going lovebirds sipping ice-cold soda and whispering to their heart's
content. The place has an ambiance to it quite suitable for affaire
d'amour.
A kiosk that contains
many books on Muktijuddha
There was a big sign there in front of the main museum building that said, “Run by M.J. Smriti Trust. About 133,010 visitors had showed up in the first three years of its existence.” A short calculation tells me that about 850 people visited the museum every week on the average in the first three years. I noticed an old British Leyland Motor Corporation’s Morris Minor car (looks like 1960s model) parked very close to the office. It was kept in a very good shape as far as its color and look are concerned. This is no ordinary car. More on this later.
One of the guardsmen came to me
informing that Mr. Chowdhury had just returned. He showed me the
adjoining office. I stepped right in and introduced myself.
Mr. Chowdhury said, “I was expecting you any day.” I think Ekram
Kabir of the Daily Star phoned him a few days earlier telling him that
I was very interested meeting him at the Museum. I told Mr. Chowdhury
my desire to take some photos inside and he quickly arranged to have my
camera back from the front desk.
A very casually dressed
Mr. Akku Chowdhury in his office
As soon as I stepped into his room,
I noticed how busy Mr. Chowdhury became as he stepped into his office.
Not only was he answering the incoming phone calls, his associates were
constantly seeking his opinion on various matters. I told him my
desire to write a piece on the Museum when I will get back to the states.
He was delighted hearing my words. His face lit up. I immediately
took his photo. He handed to me couple of booklets as a primer.
Mr. Akku Chowdhury is the managing director of the museum. He was
a Mukti Juddha (freedom fighter) at a tender age in 1971. The idea
of establishing a Jadughar (Museum) for our glorious liberation war came
to him and few others like-minded friends of his.
One of the six galleries
of the museum depicting Bangladesh's Liberation War
This is the background information that I got from Mr. Akku Chowdhury. MJ Smriti Trust, which is the parent organization that runs MJJ, was established in June 1994. The Museum opened its door on March 22, 1996. The board of trustee is composed of eight persons. They are: Dr. Sarwar Ali, Mr. Aly Zaker, Mr. Asaduzzaman Noor, Ms. Sara Zaker, Architect Rabiul Hasan, Mr. Mofidul Hoque, Mr. Ziauddin Tariq Ali, and Mr. Akku Chowdhury.
In the early days of the museum
the veteran news reporter for Daily Telegraphy Mr. Simon Dring who covered
our freedom fight was given a reception in August 1996. Renowned
pop musician Shuman Chatterjee gave five benefit concerts to raise funds
for the museum in October 1996. On March 6, 1997, Indian High Commission
handed over Pakistan Army’s Operational map they used in 1971. MJJ’s
‘Outreach’ program commenced from September 1, 1997. The museum celebrated
its second year of operation with chief guest Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Jagjit
Singh Aurora. Prof. Amartya Sen visited the museum in December 1998.
Lately, the museum has become an institution by itself. Any foreign
dignitaries who stop in Dhaka normally come for a visit to this place.
A grotesque photo
shows the extent of Pakistani army
torture during Bangladesh's
Liberation War
MJJ has six separate galleries.
The first one contains ancient relics of Bengal. This also has items
from British Raj period. The second gallery holds items from 1947
through 1970. This is essentially the Pakistani period. The
third gallery contains material from Bangladesh’s first phase of freedom
fight starting from Sheikh Mujib’s March 7 speech to fleeing of the refugee
to neighboring states of India. Many rare photographs documenting
the atrocities done by Pakistani army are also being kept here. The
fourth gallery shows items used by Bangalees who were brutally murdered
by Pakistani army. It also contains valuable documents from exiled
Government of Bangladesh during our freedom fight. In the balcony
adjoining gallery four, one can see a big map of occupied Bangladesh during
1971. The whole country was divided then into 11 sectors. The
photos of all the sector commanders and their descriptions are displayed
here. The fifth gallery contains materials from common folks who
had endured some rough time during the 9 grueling months. There are
many photographs shown here that bears testament for the support of our
legitimate struggle against a repressive Pakistani regime. The last
gallery, number six, contains materials from the fag end of the war.
During the last few weeks, many renowned intellectuals were rounded up
and executed by our Fifth Columnists Al-Badar, Al-Shams, and other Razakars.
This gallery has materials to document those gratuitous killings.
The supreme sacrifice of our Muktijuddha fighters and Indian soldiers in
the last week of the war is also documented here.
These bones bear the
testament of Bangla Genocide done by Pakistani army
After describing very briefly the
materials, the museum now has on display Mr. Akku Chowdhury took me to
all the galleries. I was both numbed and horrified to view some of
the documents. Especially the gallery that contains bones of the
tortured Bangalees had a profound effect on me. And I am sure the
photos will astound most visitors and other displayed materials that showed
whole scale torture and genocide the Pakistani army did in 1971.
I only wished we could have brought school going children from all over
Pakistan to show them what their army in 1971 did to our people.
I often receive e-mails from Pakistan who read some of my articles on Pakistani
army’s brutalities in occupied Bangladesh. Most young readers tell
me that they had no idea what Pakistani army did to Bangalees in 1971.
If only someone could videotape the materials from Gallery one through
six at MJJ and then show the video to school children in Pakistan, they
would understand the scale of violence perpetrated against the unarmed
Bangalees. To understand what the scorched-earth policy of Tikka
and Niazi’s army has done to our people, I think every citizen of Bangladesh
should come to MJJ and see the evidence firsthand.
Mr. Akku Chowdhury
in front of martyred Dr. Fazle Rabbi's car
As we came down from the second
floor, I asked Mr. Chowdhury about the black Morris sedan that was standing
next to the museum building. He told me that this car bears the testament
to intellectual killing by the Fifth Columnists of our land. That
car belonged to Prof. Dr. Fazle Rabbi, who was one of the best physician
Bangladesh had. Dr. Rabbi was taken from his house and murdered by
Al Badar/Al Shams goons in the week before Pakistan surrendered to Indian
army on December 16, 1971. The family of the slain physician has
donated the car to the museum.
More bones of martyred
Bangalees are kept
in the Jadughar to
remind us the price of our freedom
The museum has other amenities besides the main display galleries. There I found a kiosk that is stuffed with books related to Bangladesh’s freedom movement. A cafeteria is also there for snacks and soft drinks. An open house theater for musical offering is an added attraction. The ground inside is landscaped with tropical plants and shrubs that have created a nice ambiance. The entire place looks spiffy; no garbage lying around in any place. This is one institution Bangladesh should be very proud of and I only wished other places could look half as good as this museum.
Mr. Akku Chowdhury briefly touched on financial matters of this museum. He told me that the museum doesn't receive any grant from government or any other industry. The MJ Smriti Trust looks after the financing of this museum. They have lifetime members and other members. Subscriptions from the members and donations from individuals and organizations bear the expense. Mr. Chowdhury told me that it costs about Taka 40 to show one visitor the entire contents of the museum. However, the gate fee is only Taka 3. They kept the fee low so that more people will come and visit the museum. They are getting by but financing the museum is always a challenge. They rent out the amphitheater, which brings a fraction of the total cost to run the entire complex. I saw many employees working at the museum. It is one of the best-run organizations in Dhaka. It takes the dedication of a person such as Mr. Chowdhury.
One thing I must add here. MJJ is into publication of documents related to Bangladesh’s liberation war. For example, I saw monographs written by Dr. Shamsul Bari that covered what the expatriate Bangalee in Mid West America did in 1971. I glanced through the pages of that monograph. I saw many familiar names listed in those books. Some of those overseas freedom fighters are no longer alive. It dawned on me that Bangladesh’s freedom fight took place 31 years ago. In about 20-30-year time, many more people who participated in the war would leave this mortal world. I think MJJ should be involved in a project to record the oral history of our freedom struggle. It could be done with the help of a personal computer equipped with a writeable CD. We could bring the freedom fighter and let him or her narrate their personal episode. This could be then burned onto a CD. The cost of CDs is very cheap these days. With little effort and firm commitment, we could record the narrative into the hard disk and then later burn the CD.
MJJ is still collecting materials from people, which might be of some value as far as our freedom struggle is concerned. As I was talking to Mr. Akku Chowdhury, an elderly person dropped by to ask Mr. Chowdhury whether the museum will accept the dress and a piece of written document from a widow who had lost her Muktijuddha husband in the hands of Pakistani army. Mr. Chowdhury showed an enormous interest in this matter. When the person had left, I asked Mr. Chowdhury how many people drop by his office to donate articles that might be of value to MJJ. In his reply, he told me that the response from people is enormous but it takes some effort to catalog these things. I told him that I have some letters from home during our freedom fight in which some events of Pakistani repression are being mentioned in coded terms. In addition, I was very fortunate to have received a mail that may have left on the first commercial plane after Dhaka was liberated by the Mukti Bahini and Indian soldiers. The letter had Pakistani stamps affixed to it but someone at the post office affixed another crudely made seal that boldly says that the name of the nation is Bangla Desh. That piece of mail has some philatelic interest. Mr. Chowdhury, the curator-cum chief executive officer of MJJ also showed a deep interest in the old letters that I had. I promised him to donate whatever mails I had in my possession from that period that may have some value to the museum.
Our discussion was so intense that
both Mr. Chowdhury and I did not realize how quickly we passed the time
talking about our freedom struggle and the museum. Before long, I
bid him my farewell after thanking him enormously for his valuable time.
I showed him some of the digital images that I took earlier while I was
leisurely walking inside the museum compound. He seemed to like some
of the images. I promised him to write a short article based on my
maiden trip to the museum.
Shikha Onirban at
Jadughar reminds us
the supreme sacrifice
of the millions in 1971
The long and short of my trip to
MJJ is the following: everyone must visit the museum at least once in their
lifetime. The display at the museum will profoundly change one’s
view about the intensity of our short-lived Muktijuddha (freedom fight).
I was reminded that Bangladesh was not given to us on a silver platter,
as was the case for East Pakistan or even the entire Pakistan. Indian
also received her freedom in 1947 after a lengthy freedom movement but
the human toll was insignificant as compared to what the Bangalees had
to endure and how many of us had to be murdered in cold blood. Millions
of Bangalees had made enormous personal sacrifices to take the country
out of the clutches of Yahya-Tikka-Niazi’s army. Let the images of
our fallen heroes remain forever in our mind. This is precisely why
Mr. Akku Chowdhury and other board of directors of MJJ help establish a
flame, which they correctly call Shikha Onirban (Eternal Flame).
Through this flame will live forever the Spirit of 1971.
--------------------------------
A.H. Jaffor Ullah writes from New
Orleans, USA. His e-mail address is Jaffor@netscape.net
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