Feature

I also asked this same question to a teacher and by his expression I presumed that he wanted to make me understand that we are too busy with our own development and success. As I grew up, I tried to put an answer to the question and what I produced with my thinking is nothing but anguish and hatred towards our nature and way of living. Did those intellectual students of the Dhaka University ever think that they were too busy with the dream of building their own career than to fight for making Bangla the state language? So why we, being their post generation people think of ignoring their sacrifice, forgetting their memory throughout the year except 21st February so easily? Why can we not remember our martyrs' deeds and take lesson to build up a wonderful country where peace, prosperity and harmony would prevail?

It agonises me, it shocks me while passing by Shahid Minar, I see cattle grazing on the pavement even on the altars, unwanted people wandering, dust, filth covering the whole area. I see the congregation of the people who buzz around in the Memorial Monument in Savar on the Victory Day, different Television channels pour down their latest production of dramas, talk shows, documentary films which they believe as an endeavor of making people apparently patriotic. But my question is, are we paying due homage to the mighty sons of our soil who fought so bravely for the creation of Bangladesh, who laid down their lives to let us speak freely in Bangla, only by remembering them on some special days? Where does our love go for the rest of the days? But we can do this now because our lifestyle, our mental make up, our outlook has changed. It happens not only in Bangladesh; rather it is now a global phenomenon. I once heard an eminent artist saying that today's young people do not bear even a sparkle of patriotism that the youths had in the past century. Is this happening because of ignorance of the real history or other socio-economic or political reasons?

It makes my thoughts shattered when I try to think of our role as Bangladeshis' under such a political system. Sometimes we see the young generation protesting against the unjust and becoming united to establish the fair, but due to lack of good governance and overall help, their urge fades away. But it comes to us as a ray of hope as some television channels are putting real efforts to make this generation people more conscious about our past and history. This endeavour is undoubtedly praiseworthy.

What we need to do is to re-instill the values, sense of morality, courage and patriotism in our thoughts and activities. We have to purify ourselves for our own sake, for building up a country of which our forefathers dreamt of. Change and only change of our attitude can bring us the glory we are searching for.

(The writer is the student of class X in Viqarunnisa Noon School)