Editor's note

Epic struggle for Freedom

As we step into our 47th year of independence, we commemorate March 26 with joy and gratitude. Our becoming independent was the inevitable conclusion of decades of struggle against subjugation that had left us bereft of our most fundamental cultural, economic and political rights. It is a day that is remembered as a monumental transition from a state of oppression to that of an independent state which was made possible by the charismatic Bangabandhu who united the people in the epic struggle for freedom. It was he who instilled the lust for freedom amongst the people of this land and the need to fight for it.

While we celebrate our 47th year of independence and look forward to the immense possibilities the nation holds, it is also a day of remembrance for those who fell in the fight for freedom. We paid an immensely high price in the struggle for independence. Millions dead and maimed for life and the loss of an entire generation of intelligentsia, the brightest amongst us, doctors, teachers, professionals of all shades and hue, who were taken away to the killing fields and many who simply disappeared without a trace.

We have much to celebrate. The country has done well despite the burden of a very large population and political uncertainty in the decades since independence. This year we celebrate the recognition of Bangladesh becoming eligible for graduation from the status of LDC. This year's supplement carries pieces that include firsthand accounts of those who fought in the field of battle and writings on political developments both in Bangladesh and abroad that laid the foundation of an independent State.

Mahfuz Anam

Editor & Publisher