Forty-one years ago, Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in the bloody nine-month Liberation war. Now, with the help of its media, the country honors this day.
On March 26, 1971, the Bangladeshi government informed the public via radio that the Liberation War had reached its conclusion. On Monday, March 26, 2012, The Daily Star reported that on this day in 1971, the affectionately nicknamed, “Father of Bangladesh”, Bangabandhu (the leader of the Liberation war against Pakistan) urged the people of Bangladesh by radio “to resist the army of occupation to the last”. The following day, a Bengali army official announced the Independence of Bangladesh over Free Bengal Radio.
Just as radio was used in 1971 to communicate the resistance against Pakistan and the promotion of an independent Bangladesh, today the media helps to spread the same sentiment of patriotism through television and newspaper. Bangladesh television stations will be airing TV specials that highlight the “spirit of the war of liberation.” And the television station Banglavision, will air a TV play about the Razakar – a military group organized by the Pakistani army during the Liberation war. The play will revolve around the “heinous” crimes that were committed by Razakar against the Bengali people during the Liberation war.
The honoring of this special occasion would be impossible without the nation’s rapidly growing media, as it goes all-out to remind the people of Bangladesh of their triumphant day of Independence. It’s as if it’s getting harder to forget every year!
For more information, please visit:
The Daily Star I
The Daily Star II
The Daily Star III