Strength of Bangabandhu’s Historic Speech of the 7th March

http://edailyindustry.com/front_assets/epapers_content/58072a99ad6e357960760f9882d634aa.gif?fbc lid=IwAR1HybWo7YQ0VZOR6Mq9jaDjWI5V3oyVsjsOXkQPyn8aSm1LmeDn4nn4gUc Strength of Bangabandhu’s Historic Speech of the 7th March, 1971 Mohammad Jashim Uddin Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became an unparalleled leader of Bangalees because of his devotion and sacrifices in protection his folks. While Sher-e-Bangla A K Fazlul Huq, Hoseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, and Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani had failed to unite the nation to fight against the tyranny of Pakistan, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman played a vital role as protector. As a result, he was sent to jail several times and was about to hang filing the Agartala Conspiracy Case against him. But he was indifferent then. Then the people of East Pakistan and now Bangladesh could realize that without their leader, they might have failed to dream in future and so they became united to protest against the conspiracy. Finally Sheikh Mujibur Rahman got release from the central jail along with the other prisoners on 22 February 1969. The next day, Mujib addressed a million-strong crowd of Bengalis at the Race Course (now Suhrawardy Udyan) in Dhaka. Student leader Tofail Ahmed, in a rousing speech extolled him as Bangabandhu, friend of Bengal. The new honor accorded to Mujib was accepted by acclamation. Being Bangabandhu, friend of Bengal, he took all the responsibilities of East Pakistan on his shoulder and planned to free his nation from the suppression of West Pakistan. Mass people gave him the mandate in the election of 1970. But what happened after that is known to all. When the whole sky of East Pakistan covered with clouds and smokes, the oppressed people became speechless. Right then, Bangabandhu delivered his historic speech at the Race Course (now Suhrawardy Udyan) in front of thousands people on 7 March 1971. It is now an admitted fact that in the treasury of the world’s great speeches, the historic March 7 speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman occupies a special place of honour and prominence. This speech gained international recognition when UNESCO enlisted the historic speech as part of the world's documentary heritage. It has also been included in the “Memory of the World Register”, a list of the world’s important documentary heritage maintained by UNESCO. Because of its impact on the world, Jacob F Field’s We Shall Fight on the Beaches: The Speeches That Inspired History, a collection of “extracts from the most rousing and inspirational wartime speeches of the last 2,500 years—Cicero to Churchill, Lincoln to Mao”, included Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's historic March 7 speech which effectively declared Bangladesh's independence. Why the speech has been incorporated in the book is very clear to all as in his address delivered on June 4 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said: “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills, we shall never surrender.” Here, “we shall fight” was the definition of that speech. Similarly, when Martin Luther King delivered his historic address on 28 August 1963, the definition part of his speech was “I have a dream.” A portion of that address was as follows: “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Here we find the similar echo of Bangabadhu’s dream. How? First of all, he could read the words of mass people. That’s why, he started his speech saying, “My dear brothers, I have come before you today with a heavy heart. All of you know and understand how hard we have tried. But it is a matter of sorrow that the streets of Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rangpur and Rajshahi have today become coloured with the blood of my brothers. Today, our people (Banglar manush) want freedom, they want to live, they want their rights." It was a highly effective introduction to the speech, which laid the foundation for the main address and provided indications to the audience regarding what was to follow.” Like Martin Luther King, Bangabadhu had a dream. To express his dream he uttered there, “ ... And the seven million people of this land will not be cowed down by you or accept suppression any more. The Bangali people have learnt how to die for a cause and you will not be able to bring them under your yoke of suppression!” But he finished his speech declaring independence. ‘What to do, when to do, how to do who to do’ was clearly mentioned so that everyone could in his absent. “For now, I have just one thing to ask of you: Give up any thoughts of enslaving this country under military rule again!’ I ask my people to immediately set up committees under the leadership of the Awami League to carry on our struggle in every neighbourhood, village, union and subdivision of this land. You must prepare yourselves now with what little you have for the struggle ahead. Since we have given blood once, we will give more of it. But, Insha’Allah, we will free the people of this land! The struggle this time is for emancipation! The struggle this time is for independence! Be ready. We cannot afford to lose our momentum. Keep the movement and the struggle alive because if we fall back they will come down hard upon us. Be disciplined. No nation’s movement can be victorious without discipline.” These are the clear repetition of Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King. At the same time, Bangabandhu was uncommunal and dreamt to tie up all the religious and diffent opinions people like uncommunal. In the speech his opined that “If we can peaceably settle our differences there is still hope that we can co-exist as brother. Otherwise there is no hope. If you choose the other path, we may never come face one another again.” Evaluating the speech, A A M S Arefin Siddique’s observation is remarkable. According to him, “We know that powerful speeches are always short. The fiery and ground-breaking address of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered on 7 March 1971 is the best example of this genre. A speech that could inspire an entire nation to join the liberation war was a rare event in history. Analysis of the importance, significance and timeliness of this speech, which contained the directives and declaration of the liberation war in Bangabandhu’s own voice, has remained a gold-mine for researchers. The manner in which this address had invigorated and indoctrinated the Bangalis with the mantra of liberty added a new chapter in the annals of speeches. This historic address is considered to be a compulsory text at home and abroad by the experts of public speeches, researchers and communication theorists. A polished and clear presentation on our day-to-day perceptions and idealistic position is a key premise for public addresses.” Finally, we can say that the Bangabandhu’s Historic Speech of the 7th March, 1971is still now an amazing event in the context of theoretical application of communication science. It is incredible because a manifestation of modern communication concepts could be observed in this historic speech by the greatest Bangalee of all times. Moreover, in the speech, he clearly declared the independence and after this, it is needless to wait for another instruction. This is the best inspiration for all the suppressed people all over the world. One can find the path to revolt against the oppressors for their salvation. The writer is an assistant professor of English at Northern University Bangladesh. He can be reached at [email protected]