Again in Agartala For Liberation war

2008-07-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

Agarala was my one-day's known town. Everything was about new to me. I went to the garden of king's palace, with the thiking that I could find anyone in the office of the State Congress. On the way I found some known men of our area. On the movement it appeared that they managed their living very well in Agartala. But on enquiry I could not get whereabouts of my shelter, as if everybody desired to avoid me. The afternoon was passing away and evening was imminent. I could not eat anything Throughout the day. The office of the State Congress was very much crowded. Sitting in the office of the State Congress was very much difficult, even there was no facility to stand in the outside. I tried hard secretly to search for any known person, particularly the secretary of State Congress. But I could not find out. Getting no alternative I came out of the premises of the State Congress bought some salty and spicy crisp and sat down in a bench of the garden. I was very tired and exhausted, I satisfied my thirst by drinking water of nearby cube well. I was thinking how I would pass the night. I saw some men were making beds on the veranda of the palace. Perhaps they would spend the night here. I took decision that I would spend the night here by placing bag under my head. However I took decision that whatever should be done I should do that tomorrow. Leaning the tired body on the veranda I was thinking that once upon a time it was an influential palace and nobody could dare to step the boundary of the palace. The heart would tremble if anybody would look at that palace. The open gathering for drinking wine and dancing of the professional dancing girl and song stress had been going on in the bright light of the assembly hall of the palace. There were so many stories about the well and woe. Laughs and sorrows about the dwellers of the palace lying dissolved in the history. My body was tired and fatigue. Many incidents were floating in my imagination. My luck was such that I had been spending night in the verandah of the palace of the king.
Darkness became deep to deeper very quickly. I felt myself quite helpless. With anxious eyes I was looking forward, someone was going very hastily by my side-road. In the indistinct darkness of the evening, when the passerby became near to me, I could recognize him. He was Anwar Hossain whom I used to call Bachchu, close friend of my boyhood. In Akhaura our two families used to live in the same area. When 1 called him by name, he stopped suddenly. Thereafter Bachchu came close to me and after exchanging news he enquired about the address of my halting place there. Perhaps he could not understand that only a few days before I came in that country. Seeing Bachchu I got much strength. Narrating about my plan to spend the night in the verandah of the palace of the King I took his advice what I should do and where I should go. Without replying any word, Bachchu told, "Come with me now, tomorrow I shall think what is to be done". My heart was then filled up with joy and cheerfulness. Praying and thanking to God, I began to accompany Bacchu. We crossed over 12 kilometer by Public bus and reached Agartala Polytechnic Institute at Narsinggar. The father, mother, brother and sister of Bachchu all became very glad to see me and eagerly wanted to know about Akhaura and Brahmanbaria. They enquired about our family members and other known persons. I informed them of such extent which I could. At night I could finish my meal with them on the floor of the hostel with the food as allotted to them by the Tippera Government. I could meet up he burning of my starving stomach, which I had been bearing throughout the day. Arrangement was made for our sleeping in one room of the hostel. In tired body many unwanted anxieties began to make my mind heavy. Could I do something to safeguard the prestigious position of the motherland? Could the people who were driven from the homestead lands be able to return to their homeland? Would not our motherland be independent? There were such doubts and questions knocking the brain. Many rooms of the hostel were then still vacant. The state government had made such arrangement by closing the college for accommodation of the Bangladeshi refugees.
Here in this hostel many elites and their family members came for taking shelter. The next day Bachchu arranged to open a separate independent room for me. But there was no such furniture or bedding in that room for staying. That hostel of Agartala Polytechnic Institute was near the borders. Therefore the sounds of firing in the battle between aggressing Pak forces and freedom fighters could be heard violently. So long I stayed in the hostel, I could easily hear the violent sounds of firing everyday. I felt very uneasiness when "there were no sounds of firing and it would appear to me that were we losing, and would not our country be free?

I mentioned earlier that before crossing the border I took a piece of soil from my motherland and kept that with care in the bag. Often I opened and looked at that piece of soil, took its smell. I wrote down in a piece of paper, that in case of my death in the foreign land, that piece of soil should be given in my grave. I became very much emotional when I took smell of that soil. I felt much trouble to control myself. When I heard the songs, "Joy Bangla or Amar Shonar Bangla, I was wo much excited that the tears began to come out from my tears.

Again in Agartala For liberation war

Again in Agartala For Liberation war