How Khokababu became Bangabandhu

Hasanuzzaman Seeing the morning sun can tell how the whole day will go. Seeing Bangabandhu's behavior as a child, many understood that this boy would become something when he grew up.

Born in Tungipara, Gopalganj, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was called 'Khokababu' as a child. Later, this name was rarely used by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's family, but it was never heard from outsiders. Khoka Babu's childhood was formed with a lot of affection and love. Playing danguli with five other village boys, sitting on top of a tree, hunting pigeons with a slingshot, playing badan with boys from one village, fighting with boys from village to village over it, going around in a small dinghy on the bank next to the house, fishing with nets on the bank. When it was morning, Khoka Babu was spending a lot of time watching the glow of the red sun in the eastern sky of the house. Khoka Babu's family did not understand when he was playing like this. One day my father took me with him and admitted me to Gimardanga Primary School near the house. From that day, Khoka Babu's life took a new direction. Several boys and girls of the neighborhood study in this school. They are also familiar with Khoka Babu. Many of them are his playmates. As a result, it did not take long to collect playmates for this teenager who was far away from school. Instead, some new friends from other areas joined together. They all went along with Khoka Babu. He studied in this school till his fourth standard. Then the father took his workplace to the mission school in Gopalganj and admitted him. There Khoka Babu came in the company of Abdul Hamid, a famous teacher of Gopalganj city at that time. That teacher had a voluntary organization 'Muslim Seva Samiti'. Through this association, rice was collected from house to house in the area. The money received from the sale of this rice was used to support poor students. The work of the association stopped after the death of this beloved teacher. Khoka Babu took the responsibility of the teacher and continued the previous activities.

The activities of 'Muslim Seva Samiti' became quite popular in the area. Khok Ababu's first organizational skills were identified through this association. After that, the boy did not have to look back. In 1938, Suren Banerjee, president of the local Hindu Mahasabha, beat up his classmate Abdul Malek on false charges. Hearing this, the boy could not remain still. The classmate protested this incident with his friends. Clashes broke out between the two sides over this incident. A case has been filed against Khoka Babu as the number one accused. Later, the classmate was released. The news of Khoka Babu's bravery and protest mentality quickly spread in the city. His acquaintance was no longer confined to the school. Discussions about Khoka Babu continued in the outside tea shops, business establishments, markets and markets. At the same time, the Governor of Bengal Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy and another Governor of Bengal Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque came to Gepalganj to hold a public meeting. The entire responsibility of volunteering for that public meeting fell on Khokababu. After the meeting, Khoka Babu Hossain took Shaheed Sohrawardy to the mission school. There he was shown the dilapidated condition of the hostel building of the mission school. Suhrawardy Sahib was impressed by Khoka Babu's courage in this incident and sent him to Calcutta.

After passing the entrance in 1942, Khokababu left his area and came to Kolkata. He left behind countless friends and golden memories of a painful teenage life. The mesmerizing pictures of Tungipara village methopat, dinghy boat in the middle of the bill, mango-jam, litchi, bamboo garden floated in his eyes. Tall groves of coconut-betel trees standing in rows. It is like being bound in a deep bond of love by the pull of each other's relatives. I remember the words of my uncle at the crossroads. He used to open the tea shop very early in the morning. Even though he was annoyed by the curls of smoke while fanning the stove with a stick, it had become a habit. In the meantime, one or two customers came around the shop and started roaming around. All these memorable pictures floated in the eyes of Kishore Khoka Babu, a drop of water rolled down the edge of his eye without knowing it. Durant is stuck between the four walls of the city to make a living from the rhythmic life of this teenager. This life, caught from the running life, has trapped him in the net of difficulties.

Kolkata was once the capital of the British. As the cultural capital of India, this city was not less valued at one time. When the British left Calcutta and made Delhi their capital, the importance of this city declined. Even then, the red and blue lights around and the arrival of Sahebi Babu in the city startled this young middle-class Khokababu. Khokababu didn't have to spend long days just looking at the big buildings in this unfamiliar city. After admission in Calcutta Islamia College, Khoka Babu went to the college hostel. A faithful ladder of life is needed to cross the hurdles of life while holding on to dreams on one side and climbing up on the other. This brave young man is not just a boy who spends time at home. Hossain Shaheed Sohrawardy was introduced to Calcutta by the source of that identity of Gopalganj Mission School. On the one hand, the politics of organizing college students is on, on the other hand, by meeting Hossain Shaheed Sohrawardy frequently, the relationship is closer. Everything matches the life of this young man who came to Calcutta from a poor city. Within a few days, this brave young man became popular among the students of Islamia College. He easily bagged the post of general secretary in the college student union elections. At this time Hindu-Muslim communal riots have started all over India. The British are preparing to leave India. These riots made people of India's non-communal mind think. Big-minded politicians like Hossain Shaheed Sohrawardy have been affected by this idea. He is running every day in different places in India. Addressing the public meeting, he is calling on the people to withdraw from the massacre. He has taken Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the honest and brave young man of Gopalganj, as running mate. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was able to create a place as a leader among the people of India at that time.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman came to East Pakistan after the partition of India on the basis of two-nation system and enrolled in the law department of Dhaka University. At that time, the movement of the fourth class employees of the university was going on against the authorities. This brave young man knows that the demands of the workers are fair and reasonable. He did not sit at home and took a stand for the workers to implement their logical demands. As a result, the authorities expelled him from the university without trial. He was surprised by this incident but not broken. He joined the East Pakistan Muslim League and started full-fledged politics. The exodus of Hindus from this country to India and the influx of Muslims from India upset his mind. In the meantime, socialism and non-communal attitudes were rooted in Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's mind. The Bengali language movement was the first stage of East-Pakistan autonomy. Dr. East-Pakistan on the claim of language. The country's intellectuals including Muhammad Shahidullah started writing in newspapers and magazines. The messages of their writings began to spread from the city to the village, among the people of Hatbazar. In the minds of the students of the country's educational institutions, including universities and colleges, the demands of the language started to become stronger. On 23 February 1948, Prime Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin declared Urdu and not Bengali to be the sole state language of Pakistan in a session of the Constituent Assembly. The news of this announcement quickly spread among the mango population of East-Pakistan. The people became angry against Pakistan. On March 2, 1948, a meeting of opposition political parties was held at Fazlul Haque Hall of Dhaka University. In this meeting, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman announced the principles of the movement against the government of Pakistan and those principles were unanimously accepted by voice vote. At the same time, the All Party Struggle Council was formed. On March 11, 1948, a strike was held in Dhaka demanding autonomy for East Pakistan, including the Bengali language. At that time, the police arrested Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in front of the secretariat. The government released Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on March 15 in the face of intense agitation by the student society demanding the leader's release. After his release, Rashtra Bhasha Sangram Parishad organized a reception for Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhaka University premises. At this reception, the agitating students praised Sheikh Mujib fiercely as an uncompromising leader. The Pakistani government is trying to falsify this reception. In protest against that, the National Language Struggle Council called for a nationwide strike again on March 17.

As Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became a popular leader among the students in the continuous movement, his identity also spread among the countrymen. On June 2, 1949, Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy and Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani formed a new political party. This party was named Awami Muslim League. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was elected as the joint general secretary of the East-Pakistan section of this party. On July 9, 1953, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was elected as the General Secretary in the council session of the East-Pakistan Awami Muslim League. At the same time, he formed a united front on the issues of all parties and took part in the elections and won a huge victory against the government party. In this election, the United Front won 223 out of 237 seats. Among them, Awami Muslim League got 143 seats. After this incredible victory, when the government was formed, 34-year-old Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the youngest, was given the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. In the conference of Awami Muslim League held on October 21-23, 1955, the word Muslim was dropped from the name of the party. The new name of the party was Awami League.

On February 5, 1966, a session of the opposition parties of both Pakistan was held in Lahore, West Pakistan. In this important session, General Secretary of East-Pakistan Awami League Sheikh Mujibur Rahman presented 6 points known as the charter of Bengali autonomy. In favor of these six points, the opinion of the opposition parties was sought in the session. But most of the parties refrained from voting in favor of six points that day. They see signs of secession of East-Pakistan in these six points. Their statement became one with the government's statement that day. As a result, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman protested this incident and returned to the country. On March 1, 1966, he was elected president of the Awami League Council. Then he started a tour across the country to inspire the people in favor of 6 points. . Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested by the Pakistani government during his visit to Sylhet and Mymensingh. A nationwide strike was held on June 7 demanding the leader's release. Students from all over the country took full part in this strike. During this time Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became very popular among the common people. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's name is on people's lips. The Pakistani government stepped up to stop the movement of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Their night sleep should become forbidden. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is a name of terror to them. Unable to stop him in any way, Agartala filed a conspiracy case against him. This false case was made in 1968. That moment comes. A stormy wind started blowing in the sky of Bengal. On the one hand there is a strong desire for liberation among our people and on the other hand there is a thought about how to be saved from the terrible clutches of the Western ruling group. On January 5, 1969, the Central Students' Struggle Council raised 11-point demands out of the six-point issue to the government. These demands included autonomy and indirect independence. At that time the context changed rapidly. The students united in the goal of independence of the country. People started preparing for the mass movement of Durbar. The air of Bengal was resounding with the slogan 'Jai Bangla'. Awami League called a public meeting in Paltan to inform the people about the situation. Thousands of liberation students came by train and bus from all over Bengal to participate in this public meeting. Seeing this flow of people like a broken river, the ruling group became upset. The anxious ruling group showed a thumbs up to all the principles of democracy and jumped like a giant monster on the student-crowd facing Dhaka that day. On the one hand, the greedy forces of the Civil Dressers government and on the other hand, the joint attack of the police forces, the students who came to the public meeting in Paltan, Dhaka from Muffal became angry. Several workers were injured in the clash with the police. Many people scattered in the alleys of the city to protect themselves from the police. Among them, many managed to appear at the gathering place by dodging the eyes of the police. The rally begins. During the rally, silly slogans were raised from the middle of the student-crowd - 'Yours is my address, Padma Meghna Yamuna. Joy Bangla.' The Paltan Maidan erupted with slogans. Student leader Tofail Ahmed named Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as 'Bangabandhu' because of his uncompromising and courageous leadership in front of millions of students. . After calling Sheikh Mujibur Rahman this epithet, lakhs of student-crowds raised their hands and chanted slogans in unison - 'Jai Bangla', 'Jai Bangabandhu'.

British politician and philosopher Toniben (Lord Wedgwood) wrote in his book-' Both Nehreu-Jinnah were educated in Western education in Western countries and returned home with initiation into British secular politics and divided India into Hindus and Muslims. But Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman united people of all religions under the spell of non-communal spirit in his own country even without studying abroad.'

Khoka Babu has been in politics since his school life. The great feature of his political life was that he never compromised with injustice. The protestant and brave attitude has made him shine in the hearts of lakhs of students of this country. As Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who grew up among the people, was popular in the country, he was also known abroad. He was a respectable person among democratic leaders. He had a wonderful hypnotic power of association with people. As a result, he could easily enter people's minds and pull people to his side. Rarely has such a multi-talented leader come into the world.

# Author: Researcher.