The fourteenth of December sits heavy on the Bengali soul, a day where profound grief and the deepest national pride converge. On this day in 1971, with victory a mere breath away, the dream of an independent Bangladesh was dealt a crippling blow. The collaborators of the Pakistan Army — Razakar, Al-Badr, Al-Shams — executed a terrifying blueprint to extinguish the nation’s intellectual light, abducting countless distinguished minds from their homes. Twenty-two days later, their decomposed bodies were found at the killing fields of Mirpur — eternal scars on the conscience of the nation.
It is a tragedy for the nation that many of these heinous criminals still evaded justice. After independence, political divisions, narrow interests, disgraceful power struggles, and deliberate distortions of history created barriers on the path to justice. History bears witness time and again—at every turning point, traitors like Mir Jafar seem to return, forces of darkness conceal the truth. Sometimes it feels as if we Bengalis are a truly unfortunate nation; even when we achieve glory, we struggle to preserve it.
Yet, even in those dark times, there were individuals who stood as beacons of honesty, voices of humanity, and pioneers of politically aware free thought. Those who knew them recognized them as patriotic, truthful, and responsible citizens. One such person was S M A Rashidul Hasan, a teacher in the English Department of Dhaka University and a martyred intellectual. I had the opportunity to read his four diaries—an invaluable record of pre-war society, politics, the longing for liberation, and human sensitivity.
Though born in Birbhum, West Bengal in India, his life’s path led him to Dhaka. Accepting a teaching position, he moved with his family in 1965, and from that year, his diary became a regular testament to the times. He documented the rising tide of Bengali self-determination, from the Six-Point Movement to the mass uprising of 1969.
His writings reveal a farsighted political conscience. On February 21, 1969, as President Ayub Khan announced he would not seek re-election, Rashidul Hasan penned a timeless truth:
“দেশের জনগণ ও তাদের স্বার্থ উপেক্ষা করে কেহই বেশি দিন শাসকের আসনে টিকে থাকতে পারে না। সত্যিকার দেশ-শাসকের শক্তির উৎস সব সময় জনগণ, শাসক হবে জনগণের আশা-আকাঙ্ক্ষার প্রতীক, তার ওপর জনগণের আস্থাই হবে তার শক্তির ভিত্তি। সত্যিকার শাসক সব সময় জনগণের সেবক, প্রকৃত প্রস্তাবে খাদেম বা ভৃত্য।“
Sensing the inevitable tide of history, he saw that Bengalis were destined for self-determination. By the last day of 1969, he bid farewell to a transformative year:
“১৯৬৯ সন বিদায় নিল। পূর্ব বাংলার ইতিহাসে বাঙালির আত্মপ্রতিষ্ঠার ইতিহাসে এই বিগত সন চিরস্মরণীয় হয়ে থাকবে। ১৯৭০ সনে আমাদের যে আশা ওআনন্দের গুঞ্জনধ্বনি আমরা শুনছি, তার বীজ বোনা হয়েছিল আমাদের শত শত কিশোর ও তরুণের তাজা রক্তে এই ১৯৬৯ সনে। অমর ১৯৬৯! স্বাগত ১৯৭০!”
After that, he no longer wrote “East Pakistan” — he wrote “East Bengal”.
His diaries show no partisan bias; he was a teacher with a free mind, committed to neutral and fair analysis — a poignant contrast to the politically divided academic landscape of today. He reminds us that a teacher’s primary identity is not that of a party worker, but a moral guide.
He always stood by the truth. During Monem Khan’s regime, when a petty conspiracy was launched to modify the Bangla alphabet, he strongly protested — even as a teacher of English literature. From then on, the pro-Pakistani colleagues branded him “anti-Pakistani.” His faith in truth is captured in his own poetic lines:
“যা সত্য তা বেঁচে রবে, আমি বাঁচি বা না বাঁচি; কি বা আসে যায়, আমি আছি বা না আছি।”
His love for Bangla was a matter of identity, not just language. He wrote:
“জীবিকার প্রয়োজনে ইংরেজি শিখেছি। কিন্তু বাংলা—আমি যাকে ধারণ করি হৃদয়ে, আমার মাতৃভাষা, আমার আত্মপরিচয়ের মূল উৎস।”
This reverence extended to Rabindranath Tagore; even when Rabindra Sangeet was banned, he raised his twelve-year-old daughter as a Tagore artist, believing him essential to the survival of the Bengali spirit. This confession shines with his deep love for his roots and his sense of dignity.
On September 20, 1971, he was arrested by the Pakistan Army for his pro-liberation activities. Though released after great effort, he refused calls to flee to the safety of his birthplace. He chose to remain in Dhaka, determined to inspire his students to join the struggle, finding peace in contributing, however little, to the cause of freedom.
In his final days, his longing for Bangladesh’s birth reached a fever pitch. Just two days before his martyrdom, on December 12, he wrote:
“আমাদের রাত্রিগুলো মাছের পেটের মতন, সারা রাত আমরা সব জান-নূন হয়ে আছি; আমাদের প্রার্থনার ধ্বনি, তোমার প্রাণে কী পৌঁছাবে?”
In another poem, he lamented: “এখন আমার দেশ আমার অশ্রুজলে, আমার দেশ আমার অন্তরে নিরন্তর বিব্রত বিষয়।”
His close friend, former Dhaka University Professor Dr. Sirajul Islam Choudhury, once said in an interview,
“রাশীদুল হাসান নীড়ের সন্ধানে পশ্চিমবঙ্গ থেকে এদেশে এসেছিলেন, মুক্তিযুদ্ধের সাথে নিজেকে সম্পৃক্ত করার প্রস্তুতি নিচ্ছেন এবং শহীদ হন; নিরাশ্রয় হয়েই তিনিচলে গেলেন।”
Bangladesh was not his land of birth. Yet this extraordinary man, who came here to build a life, chose to give his blood for its creation. And in that ultimate sacrifice, this land truly became his homeland.
M M Shahidul Hassan is distinguished Professor, Eastern University, and Former Vice Chancellor, East West University, Bangladesh.
