Lack of care visible everywhere at Matiur Rahman Museum, library [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Lack of care visible everywhere at Matiur Rahman Museum, library

Local December 12, 2016

On entering Bir Shreshtha Matiur Rahman Memorial Museum and Library, broken chairs and tables, worn out books and dusty furniture are what the visitors will come upon.
Besides, the scanty objects that bear the memory of Matiur Rahman at the museum cum library built eight years ago in memory of the freedom fighter are another frustrating matter to the visitors.
Moreover, the damaged road leading to the establishment at Raipura in Narsingdi plays a big role in keeping it obscure, visitors and locals have alleged.
The government in 2008 built the museum and library at village Ramnagar, the birthplace of Matiur, who made supreme sacrifice during War of Independence in 1971.
It was built as part of constructing seven memorial museums and libraries at the birthplaces of the seven Bir Shreshthas.
The government also named the village after Matiur but it is widely ignored by the villagers as well as government offices.
‘People from outlying districts come to the museum only to be frustrated with the small number of objects used by Matiur Rahman,’ said Enamul Huq, caretaker of the museum.
Visitors say that only six photographs of Matiur are on display, which is far too inadequate for a museum built for a bir shreshtha, Enamul lamented.
Locals said that there are several thousand books in the library but no new books were purchased in the past five years.
Pages of many old books are coming off while the chairs and tables are hardly usable.
Raipura Upazila Muktijhoddha Sangsad commander Nazrul Islam said that it was really unfortunate that due honour was not showed to the bir shreshthas.
‘The road is in a bad shape, and if it is repaired, more people will come to visit the museum,’ he said.
During the War of Liberation in 1971, while at home on leave flight lieutenant Matiur Rahman organised the local freedom fighters and took part in a battle against the Pakistan army at Bhairab.
But under pressure from his family, he returned to his place of posting in Pakistan in the month of May. Matiur made a secret plan of hijacking an aircraft and to join the liberation forces with the plane.
In the morning of August 20, pilot officer Minhaz Rashid was scheduled to fly a T-33 aircraft from Masrur Airbase in Karachi with Matiur Rahman as his trainer. The T-33 aircraft was code-named Bluebird.
During the training flight, Matiur attempted to take control of the aircraft into his own hands, but failed. The plane crashed in Thatta, a place near the Indian border.
Matiur’s body was found near the crash sight but Minhaz’s body could not be traced. Matiur Rahman was buried at a graveyard at Masrur Airbase.
Matiur Rahman was awarded the highest state honour ‘Birsrestha’ in recognition of his patriotism and sacrifice for the nation.
The mortal remains of Matiur was brought to Dhaka in 2006 and laid to rest at Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard of Mirpur.