Editorial
MR Akhtar Mukul
An inimitable freedom fighter passes away
It would be very difficult for any Bangalaee to forget MR Akhtar Mukul -- not just for his sharp-witted columns and writings, but mainly because of his highly satirical and incisive presentation titled 'Charam Patra' over Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, that helped to keep the embers for freedom burning during our liberation struggle in 1971. In fact, it became rallying-point of a programme for all Bangalees at home and abroad in their quest for strength and resolution in those testing times. His creative bursts of witticism riding on the crest of a free-flowing Dhakaiya dialect would have an instant mind-lifting effect on the listeners.Whatever he did with his words by way of taking pot shots at the Pakistani occupation forces over his radio programme could not be matched by thousands of words in print or blasts of gunfire. He acted as a powerful inspirer and motivator on the mass contact side of our freedom struggle. The regular listeners of his extremely popular programme in 1971 can never have an amnesia over his memory. And, the Charam Patras he put together in book-form before he died, can be read by the present generation to get a feel of those times. We are deeply saddened by the passing away of such an icon of our freedom struggle. We join everyone in recalling his contributions in our fight for liberation. While praying for the salvation of the departed soul, we express our sympathy to his bereaved family. And lastly, we hope that his works will not fade away with the passage of time; the new generations to come will continue to seek inspiration from his contribution that remains a sparkling part of our liberation war legacy.
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