Liberation War 1971

Our Victory Day and the questions of equality, justice, and human dignity

Bangladesh's hard-won independence, achieved through the Liberation War in 1971, remains the most defining political event in our history.

Wartime treatment: The heroes who saved lives, silently 

While the armed freedom fighters fought valiantly on the battlefield during the 1971 war, a quieter yet equally crucial battle was being waged on the medical front.

Victory day today: The day a nation cried tears of joy

From the first week of December 1971, freedom was already in the air. Pakistan was losing ground across Bangladesh to the joint forces, composed of the Mukti Bahini and the allied Indian forces. One by one, different regions were being liberated from the occupation forces.

Dec Special | Part 8 | / Regional Resistance: Aftab Bahini of Kurigram

The Aftab Bahini, led by Aftab Ali, a subedar in the 3rd East Bengal Regiment, was a formidable regional force that operated along the Brahmaputra and Teesta rivers during the 1971 war.

Dec Special | Part 5 | / Regional Resistance: Halim Bahini of Manikganj

Through swift mobilisation, strategic brilliance, and devastating attacks against the Pakistani army, the Halim Bahini of Manikganj distinguished itself as one of the most effective regional forces that fought in the Liberation War.

WORLD PHILOSOPHY DAY / Bangladesh’s constitution needs a philosophical renewal

By grounding our laws in a renewed philosophical vision, our constitution can be reshaped.

A tribute to Komol Siddiqi / Rest in peace, warrior, your battle won

Masroor ul Haq Siddiqi Bir Uttam (Komol Siddiqi) passed away in the early hours of October 7.

Is stability in Bangladesh possible without embracing pluralism?

Historically, Bangladesh has been built on pluralistic ideals born out of the Language Movement of 1952 and the Liberation War of 1971.

DU student creates 1971 Liberation War time-lapse map from military perspective

Abrar Fahyaz, a Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) student at Dhaka University (DU), created a war time-lapse showcasing the 1971 Liberation War from a military perspective. 

March 24, 2022
March 24, 2022

Alamgir Kabir: “Zahir in Kolkata”

17 April, 1971. I reached Kolkata from Agartala on the previous day. Word reaches me that Zahir Raihan has also arrived at Kolkata on the same day.

January 20, 2022
January 20, 2022

UPL launches Samuel Jaffe’s book on US grassroots activism in Bangladesh Liberation War

In a live YouTube broadcast, The University Press Limited (UPL) launched their book, An Internal Matter: The U.S., Grassroots Activism and the Creation of Bangladesh, written by Samuel Jaffe, at 7 PM on Saturday, January 15, 2022.

January 16, 2022
January 16, 2022

UPL launches Samuel Jaffe’s book on grassroots activism in the Liberation War

In a live YouTube broadcast, University Press Limited (UPL) launched their book, An Internal Matter: The U.S., Grassroots Activism and the Creation of Bangladesh, written by Samuel Jaffe, at 7 PM on Saturday, January 15, 2022.

December 18, 2021
December 18, 2021

Untold stories of war heroines: Revisiting Rizia Rahman’s ‘Rokter Okshor’

Published as early as 1978, Rizia Rahman’s well-acclaimed book, Rokter Okshor, narrates the lives of the women who were forced (directly and indirectly) into prostitution in the post-Liberation War era of Bangladesh. 

December 16, 2021
December 16, 2021

Stories of the liberation war, and how we must never forget to pass it on

Fifty years have now passed since that glorious day in December 1971 when we achieved victory after a battle for nine months.

December 16, 2021
December 16, 2021

A Walk to Victory

The idea was to put ourselves face to face with history.

August 15, 2021
August 15, 2021

Knowing Bangabandhu

On 15 August, we mourn the loss of our founding father and charismatic leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. For most of us, he remains a figure larger than life we were not fortunate enough to have met or seen.

July 29, 2021
July 29, 2021

The Birangona in fiction: ‘1971’ and ‘Talaash’

In this addition to this series, following up on the previous installment’s focus on nonfiction narratives of Birangonas’s lives and experiences, we recall Tarashankar Bandopadhyay’s '1971' (2015) and Shaheen Akhtar’s 'Talaash' (2004), two books that can be considered as significant exceptions to the trend mentioned above, and also as examples of the politics of representation, objectification of women, and the desensitisation of lived experiences of trauma.

March 27, 2019
March 27, 2019

Mapping genocide in Khulna

War leaves its traces everywhere, be it in the form of memories or mass graves.

March 18, 2019
March 18, 2019

MARCH 18, 1971: So-called talks enter third day

The so-called negotiation, which will later be proved as a ploy of the Pakistan military junta to kill time for military buildup in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, rolled into third day.