REHMAN SOBHAN’S MEMOIR : ‘A testament of the national struggle for independence’

Speakers on Saturday termed the ‘Untranquil Recollections: the Years of Fulfillment’ a memoir by professor Rehman Sobhan, as a testament of the national struggle for independence and national identity within the historical events of Bangladesh.
At a discussion on the book titled ‘the struggle for Bangladesh’, they also stressed on spreading the essence and history behind the independence of the country among the young generations to create national consensus on important issues like democracy, secularism, nationalism and social justice, the major driving forces of the liberation war.
The Centre for Policy Dialogue organised the discussion on the book published in November last year at BRAC Centre Inn in Dhaka where politicians, academics, economists and civil society members gave their opinion on the book.
Gana Forum president Kamal Hossain said that the young generation must be informed about the unfulfilled expectations of the liberation war and past movements.
He said that the core expectation was the empowerment of the people, democracy, secularism, nationalism and socialism for removing injustice.
‘We need to build a consensus on the issues,’ he said.
At the programme, Rehman Sobhan said we are now almost 50 years into our independence but still there is no definitive history of Bangladesh, including narratives of people who participated in the historical events, to present to the next generation who want to know about the history of Bangladesh.
Gowher Rizvi, international affairs adviser to the prime minister, said the reader of the book will get near to the insights of Bangabandu on the historical events as Rehman Sobhan was very close to Bangabandu and his envoy entrusted with campaigning in favour of Bangladesh’s demand for independence.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Moudud Ahmed hoped the writer would include details about the nationalisation of the industries, banks and other businesses, in a bid to establish socialism, though the party ruling the country had no orientation in socialism.
He said Bangabandu would not have been killed if one party system had not been introduced.
‘It was an error of judgment on his part to try to achieve socialism through democracy,’ he said.
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development executive director Sultan Hafeez Rahman said the book is not just a memoir but accumulated stories of national struggle.
Dhaka University professor of English Syed Manzoorul Islam, economist MM Akash, CPD executive director Mustafizur Rahman, President of Communist Party of Bangladesh Mujahidul Islam Selim,  former adviser to the caretaker government Akbar Ali Khan, professor Rownaq Jahan, among others, spoke at the programme moderated by CPD distinguished fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya.

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