One of the reasons might be that these values could not be passed on properly to next generations who actually carry out the messages and contribute to nation building.

A Golden Age, a novel by Tahmima Anam, is an effort to tell the people, especially the younger generation that the Liberation War is not an event to be forgotten, but a set of values to be passed on from generation to generation.

"Of course, we shall look forward to future, but not by forgetting the past. We will use the past as the foundation of future," said Tahmima at the launching ceremony of the Bangladesh edition of 'A Golden Age' at Shilpakala Academy in the city yesterday.

Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed and Air Vice-Marshal (retd) AK Khandker launched the Bangladesh edition published by Shahitya Prakash.

The first English novel on the Liberation War of Bangladesh, 'A Golden Age' was published in Great Britain by John Murray in February this year, receiving rave reviews from across Europe.

Yesterday's function was aglow with the presence of prominent personalities including cultural activists, educationists, members of the civil society, politicians, rights activists, diplomats and former bureaucrats.

Tahmima said, "We must remember the Liberation War in our hearts so that we can claim that the war for freedom was ours."

In response to a question, she said there are many young Bangladeshis at home and abroad who do not know what the war was all about and its significance.

"I tried in my novel to show how the common people, especially the women, participated in the war and how it affected them. They did not take up arms and go to the battlefields, but played a heroic role in the war," said Tahmima, daughter of Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of The Daily Star, and human rights activist Shaheen Anam.

She said she was inspired by an incident that took place in 1971 when the Pakistani army attacked the house of her grandmother who bravely managed to save her children.

Tahmima said she tried to draw a humane face of the Liberation War in the form of a fiction.

Speaking on the occasion, AK Khandker, who was the deputy chief of staff of Bangladesh Force during the Liberation War, said the novel is excellent as it takes one down to memories of the war of independence.

"The characters became live in the novel that painted how hard it was to achieve independence," he said, urging the young generation to learn about the heroic struggle.

Lauding the novel, eminent Indian journalist Kuldip Nayar said he was happy that Tahmima wrote a novel on the Liberation War. He recalled the glorious era that he covered at that time in his writings.

Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed said the novel was so interesting that he simply couldn't put it down once he had started reading.

The book has the power of poetry and capacity of looking at the incidents in detail, said the noted litterateur, adding that a Bangla version should be published as soon as possible.

Mofidul Haque, publisher of the Bangladesh edition, said Tahmima has done a great job through her creative writing that actually is the best means to make connections between the values and ideals of generations.

Speaking on the occasion, Shaheen Anam said, "We are all proud today that Tahmima wrote about us, but the most important thing is that she wrote about the common women of our society."

These common women are still fighting for their independence braving all the obstacles, and contributing to their families and society, she said, adding, "I am very proud that Tahmima is not only our daughter, but the daughter of our generation. We can take a collective pride in her novel."

A question-answer session followed the launch. Prof Syed Manzoorul Islam of Dhaka University, filmmaker Catherine Masud, and Prof Kaiser Haque, among others from the audience, took part in the session.

Earlier, English Department Drama Society of Dhaka University staged a play reading of a part of the novel.

Prof Tahmina Ahmed of English department directed the reading performed by artiste Mita Chowdhury and others.

Cultural activist and freedom fighter Nasiruddin Yusuf Bachchu organised the ceremony conducted by Dr Naila Khan.