A timeless image
A boy, barely out of childhood, holds a grenade in his hand. His gaze, although defiant, also holds a flicker of innocence, a boyish vulnerability peeking through the steely resolve. Flanking him on either side stand two older teenagers, rifles aimed towards the enemy.
This image of Naib Uddin Ahmed, published in December 1971 with the title "Muktijuddhe Tin Kishore" (Three Teenage Freedom Fighters), has turned out to be one of the most iconic images of the Liberation War. It embodied the courage of the nation's youngsters, who stood up for freedom.
The photograph features Abdul Khaleque, grenade in hand, flanked by his comrades Abdul Mazid and Mujibur Rahman, all wielding weapons.
The three boys, all aged between 13 and 14 at the time, joined the war from Musuria village in Delduar upazila of Tangail.
After independence, Mujibur Rahman became a rickshaw puller to help his family. He died of cancer in 2016. Meanwhile, Abdul Mazid is a retired officer of Ansar Battalion.
RETURNING TO MYMENSINGH
Three years ago, this newspaper met Abdul Khaleque, the boy with the grenade, in an event hosted in his honour in Mymensingh. After the war, he worked in a low-income private job. The allowance he received as a freedom fighter was one of his biggest sources of income.
A visit to Mymensingh for Khaleque was a powerful experience, filled with nostalgia. The iconic photograph that cemented their place in history was captured right here in this very city.
Recalling the events of the war with emotion, Khaleque shared, "After reaching Mymensingh in December, our company commander Khorshed Alam assigned me and two others, Mazid and Mujibur, to attack a Pakistan bunker near the Railway Bridge area. I remember asking them to be prepared with their rifles in case of an attack. We had no idea when Naib Uddin took the photograph that captured that moment."
Khaleque said he has established a museum, "Muktijudhha Jadugar," on a four-decimal land in Tangail.
He requested support from the government so that the museum can continue to run smoothly in the future.
A FADING LEGACY
Even though Naib Uddin Ahmed was an internationally renowned photographer, memories of his work are slowly fading in the minds of his own people in Mymensingh.
His camera has preserved some of the most striking scenes from the Liberation War -- scenes of torture, aggression, and grave injustice. Yet, only a few of his colleagues, well-wishers, and family members remember the veteran behind the lenses today
Some of his photographs are widely used on different occasions, but his name is never seen on the credits. "It's quite painful for us," said Mahmuda Nasrin Kajol, Naib's daughter-in-law.
One of his most popular works, the historic photograph "Three Freedom Fighters," is displayed in the main corridor of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, but it does not bear Naib's name, lamented Kajol.
His photographs helped publicise the war to the world, and they now survive as documents of the Liberation War, said Nowab, now 78- years -old.
It was his immense courage that led Naib to turn his camera towards the war. His photography captured the atmosphere of the war, like his photos of vultures circling carcasses on the bank of Brahmaputra, said Nowab.