Feature

A Little House full of Enormous Memories

Eshan Newaz

RECENTLY, the 11th graders of William Carey Academy (Chittagong) visited the Liberation war museum located in Shegunbagicha, Dhaka. As we entered the museum and looked around the place, some of us gasped with horror, some gaped with astonishment while others nodded with appreciation. That even 38 years after the war this museum stood as an oasis of truth amid this debilitated nation was obvious to us. Before long we were greeted by one of the museum's trustees and renowned personality Ali Zaker.

We were led to the video room where we watched a short documentary which along with giving us the gist of the events that led to the Liberation War, honed our patriotic spirit. Then our host guided us through the rooms of the museum that contained pictures of martyrs, newspapers of the 1970s, books, invaluable objects of freedom fighters and a lot more. Wonderfully organized on the show cases of the museum were preserved skulls, coats and pipes of our Father of Nation, and arms and ammunitions used by the freedom fighters. Some of the students shared their feelings about the war with Ali Zaker. They recalled how their relatives were killed and their houses completely blown apart during the war. As the tour drew to an end the museum sprung its last surprise on us, a pop quiz on the Liberation War! After the challenging quiz the winners were announced and prizes were handed out.

The tour to the Liberation War museum was a memorable experience for the students of WCA. We departed from the museum with a deeper understanding of our roots and a broader view of the horizon ahead. The Liberation War museum promoted the patriotic spirit within us and incited us to accomplish great things for our country and for the people who fought for its existence.