The events leading to the emergence of Bangladesh and its final days are full of dramatic occurrences.
Writing the history of war, especially the history of a liberation war, is one of the most challenging tasks for historians. The Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 was no exception. Faced with the loss, destruction, or restricted access to potential archives, historians grapple with the task of finding alternative sources, often turning to oral histories.
The Daily Star (TDS): What was the situation on the eve of the 1971 war?
When the war broke out, Paul Connett and Ellen Connett had just returned from the US being involved in the Biafra campaign.
In 1971, in England, a small group of Bengali doctors from then East Pakistan were immersed in their studies. Amidst the pursuit of their academic dreams, they found themselves attuned to the dynamic political landscape unfolding in East Pakistan.
History is usually written by the winners. But the Liberation War of Bangladesh is such a huge affair; it has so many characters like an epic, so many layers of incidents, and so many chapters and segments that its history cannot be completely captured by writing in a small scale.
Despite their remarkable contributions during the Liberation War, the sacrifices made by women are frequently relegated to the shadows in the records of our history.
