One look at the book and you might think of it as being a documentation of history; maybe even flip it away for a thriller or romance for a rainy day. But as they say, don't judge a book by its cover. 'Shadhinotar hajaar duaar, nirbashoner chinthi' is so much more than real life thriller stories and actual romances, fading away in the horizon. A series of letters compiled by author Abdul Momen, the book will soften your heart and help you visualise the actual stories from 1971.

Back in 1971, Abdul Momen lived in London, England. Besides working for the National Westminster Bank, Momen was also an unofficial messenger between family members and friends living in West Pakistan and East Pakistan. "Back then, letters and packages sent from one side of the country to the other would always be censored or made to disappear," remembers Momen. "Instead, many would send me their letters and messages to London and I, in turn, would send them to the respective family members living in parts of the country -- Norshindi, Rajshahi, Noakhali and so on." Momen would disperse all sorts of messages -- starting from the news of death of a loved one to families asking for money to buy groceries.

Abdul Momen was not only a messenger for many; he was also a 'diary' of sorts. "I would also receive letters addressed to me -- asking me how I was doing, thanking me for my contribution and I would also receive pages filled with accounts of a day, a tragedy in the family or yet another Pakistani army attack." One of the letters that Momen highlights comes from a certain Khokon. He speaks of his brother in law, a journalist who would pass messages to the BBC -- how he was picked up by the Pakistani Army in the middle of lunch. "Dulhabhai (brother in law) was not allowed to finish his meal, wash his hands or dress up," writes Khokon. "He was wearing a lungi and a genji. His genji was taken off and used to bind his eyes with. He was taken on a jeep which drove away. We never found him."

‘Shadhinotar hajaar duaar, nirbashoner chinthi' will be widely distributed across the country, very soon.