Bangladesh on Monday is observing the 45th anniversary of the historic Race Course address of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The historic Mar 7 speech is recognised as one of the ‘world’s all-time best’.
On this day in 1971, Bangabandhu called upon all Bengalees to join the struggle for independence from Pakistan.
“Ebarer Sangram Muktir Sangram, Ebarer Sangram Swadhinatar Sangram (This struggle is for our freedom. This struggle is for our independence),” he told tens of thousands gathered at the Race Course ground, now known as the Suhrawardy Udyan.
Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina began the day by laying wreaths at the portrait of Bangladesh’s found father at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi along with her Cabinet members and party colleagues at around 7am.
Leaders and activists of Awami League’s front organisation later paid respects.
The speech
On March 7, 1971, as negotiations with Pakistan’s military junta appeared to go nowhere, Mujib turned up at the Race Course around 3:20pm, wearing his trademark white pyjama-panjabi and a sleeveless black coat.
To the tens of thousands gathered, he began by saying: “Today, I come to you with a heavy heart. You know everything and understand all that has been going on. We tried our best.
“But every time we have talked, the streets of Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi and Rangpur have gone red with the blood of our brothers. People of Bangladesh today want freedom. They want to live. They want to secure their rights.”
In his extempore speech before a million freedom-loving people of erstwhile East Pakistan, he proclaimed amid slogans, “This struggle is for our freedom. This struggle is for our independence.”
His address cut across the social divide and struck a chord with 70 million Bengalee people.
The towering leader, a powerful orator, called for a civil uprising and declared war against the then Pakistani junta.
He said: “We have given much blood and we will give more. But this time, we will definitely liberate the country In Sha’a Allah… Turn every house into a fort and face [the enemy] with whatever you have.”
He also called upon the Bengalees to prepare for armed struggle against the Pakistani military junta.
Source: Bd news24
