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Download PDF Dhaka University (DU) that once was the breeding ground for all national movements is now losing the memories of its glorious past as the authorities have yet to take coordinated measures to protect and preserve those.
Students of this premier educational institution of the country have been deprived for long of the proper information about the contribution of the university family — students, teachers and others — to the cause of the nation.
The DU authorities have not even put on record the identities of all the martyrs from the university family during the movements.
The name of this university is inseparable from the Language Movement in 1952, Liberation War in 1971, mass upsurge against alien rule in 1969 and anti-autocracy movements in the 1980s.
At least 20 teachers, 105 students and around 35 employees of the DU sacrificed their lives during the nine months of Liberation War, especially on March 25 night in 1971, according to a list prepared by the DU Central Students Union (Ducsu) Collection Centre. It however does not contain a complete account of the martyrs.
HISTORIC SPOTS
A number of places on the DU campus bear testimony to various events of the nation’s history and heritage.
DU residential dormitories including Jagannath Hall, Fazlul Haq Hall and Zohurul Haq Hall (formerly Iqbal Hall), and teachers’ quarters were targets of the occupying Pakistan army on March 25 night in 1971, and a number of teachers, students and employees were killed.
The then Arts building of the DU ( now part of Dhaka Medical College Hospital), Modhu’s Canteen, Curzon Hall, Fazlul Haq Hall and SM Hall were the main centres of the Language Movement. Several places where killings took place on the DU campus during the Liberation War are now difficult to identify.
The flag of independent Bangladesh was first hoisted atop the present arts building on March 2 but most of the DU students now do not know this.
“Our campus is such a place that when one passes through it, one has to go through several historic sites but most of our fellow students are not aware of it. Had there been sign boards with brief descriptions of these spots, we could have known about their historic importance,” said a final year student of the university.
FAILED PROJECT
Associate Professor of History at DU Dr Abu Md Delwar Hossain, who is also a researcher on the Liberation War, said an initiative to write the history of DU with reference to the war had been taken by Prof Ratanlal Chakrarabarti but it stopped as he went abroad.
A four-member editing panel for it, headed by Prof Ahamad Kabir, was formed in 2004. The other members of the panel included Prof Dr Anisuzzaman and Prof Sirajul Islam Chowdhury.
When contacted, Prof Ahamad Kabir, who is acting director of the publication organisation of DU, said, “We don’t have adequate funds and writers, and editing panel members are also busy. That is why we have yet to start the project.”
SEPS SUGGESTED
Ducsu Collection Centre Treasurer Prof Belayet Hossain said the DU authorities should immediately take steps to preserve memories of the glorious past of this Institution so that the next generation can know this.
“Scattered initiatives will not serve the purpose well. The university authorities should do something in a coordinated way and steps to be taken should include publications and setting up a museum,” he added.
Former Duta president AAMS Arefin Siddique said, “We need a detailed publication and a museum depicting the history of DU for the sake of the next generation”.
Duta at a meeting recently demanded that the university authorities set up a memorial for the martyrs from DU who were killed by Pakistan army on March 25, 1971.
It also demanded preserving the campus sites that bear memories of the Liberation War.
Prof Delwar Hossain said, “Now we need a coordinated and central initiative.”
WHAT HAVE BEEN DONE SO FAR
In a scattered manner, various departments and residential dormitories of the university and the Ducsu collection centre have so far tried to preserve the memories of ‘71.
Ratanlal Chakrabarti wrote a book — Muktijuddhe Shaheed - Jagannath Hall — (martyrs of Liberation War at Jagannath Hall), and Duta published a souvenir on martyr teachers of DU.
Different DU departments also published similar souvenirs on different occasions.
Shadhinata Juddhe Dhaka Bishwabiddalaya (Dhaka University in Liberation War) by Rafiqul Islam, History of Dhaka University by A Rahim and some other similar publications are there.
The DU authorities also have some publications including Dhaka Bishwabiddalayer Gouraber Ashi Bachhar (Glorious Eighty Years of Dhaka University) by Rejanur Rahman.
Ducsu in December last year unveiled a mural on the Language Movement on the campus.
There is a Liberation War cell at the central library of DU containing a good number of books but most of the students do not know about it.
DUCSU COLLECTION CENTRE
The Ducsu collection centre’s rare and valuable collections are facing decay and are getting lost due to lack of space and proper preservation.
Valiant freedom fighter and chief attendant at the centre Gopal Chandra Das alone collected those.
“We have valuable collections on the Language Movement, mass upsurge, Liberation War and anti-autocracy movements but we don’t have enough space to preserve those,” said Gopal.
When contacted, DU Vice-chancellor SMA Faiz said they have a plan to set up an archive and a museum in the new building of the Centre for Excellence in Arts and Social Sciences, which is currently under construction.
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