Sheikh Rehana, daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has shared some invaluable memories with her father while attending a ceremony at the Scholastica School in Dhaka, marking the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation.
She also shared the childhood stories of her father that she heard from her grandparents.
“Once my grandfather returned from Kolkata with a beautiful shawl for Mujib. He was 10 years old then. Clad in that shawl, he went out. After a while, he was coming back and spotted a weak old man shivering in freezing cold under a tree. My father (Bangabandhu) took off his shawl and came back home shivering,” Rehana said, epitomizing Bangabandhu’s humanity that he showed even in his childhood.
The video of Sheikh Rehana’s speech is shared in the official facebook page of Bangladesh Awami League.
Bangabandhu was born in the village of Tungipara under the then Gopalganj Subdivision (now district) of the then Faridpur District on March 17, 1920. He was assassinated by a handful of army renegades as part of a larger national and international political conspiracy hatched by anti-liberation forces in the pre-dawn hours of August 15 in 1975.
They murdered in cold blood every member of his family except his daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, who by fortune alone were abroad at that time. Sheikh Hasina is the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is celebrating the birth centenary with the glowing tributes to Bangabandhu’s leadership from the world leaders.
Former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon termed his a “rare” leader, and said he was also “far ahead of his time” as a champion of human rights, social and economic equality and environment.
Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who was in Dhaka attending the celebration, said that Bangabandhu will “remain a source of inspiration for many generations to come”.
Terming Bangabandhu as an old friend of China, President Xi Jinping in a video message, said under his daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the country entered “a fast lane of growth”.
“Fifty years ago, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman founded the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. A man who devoted his whole life to his country and people, he is fondly remembered by the people in Bangladesh to this day,” he remembered.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will visit Bangladesh on the occasion later on March 26 tweeted termed him as a “hero” to all Indians too, in a tweet.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also paid respect to Bangabandhu and said he led Bangladesh to become an independent nation with his “indomitable” spirit.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also paid respect and said “we are able to celebrate (50 years of Bangladesh) today because of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s vision for an independent and democratic country – one that was built on his love for his people”.
Sheikh Rehana also evoked her emotional words while addressing the Scholastica discussion.
“When young Mujib wandered around the rural landscape of Tungipara, leading his peers in all the swashbuckling activities including swimming in the murky water of Modhumoti and sports such as ha-du-du and volleyball, who in the world could even imagine that this youth would end up being the father of the nation and one of the greatest leaders having ever walked upon this planet?
“Since childhood, he was unbelievably sharp and had endowed with a vision. The soil and people of his village filled his heart with love and he loved them too with all his heart.
“As a child, he was helpful and roared out loud against injustice. He reached out to the people who needed help and raised his voice whenever he spotted injustice.
“Once he observed that the crops of farmers were damaged and their houses were left with not an iota of food. The entire village was encountering a famine. Young Mujib was burning to do something. Then he requested his father to donate rice from their barn. Without even knowing how much his father could help, he came up with this request. The only thing he had in his mind was saving the lives of the farmers,” she said.
Once Mujib underwent an operation on his eye in his childhood as he had been suffering from eyesight issues. The story of how he had to carry it to his dislike also came alive through the story narrated by his daughter – Sheikh Rehana.
