A letter to a dead comrade
by ATM Haidar Khan
Friday, 26th November 1971; 3:52:31 AM
Battlefield-Noakhali, Liberation War.
To:
Mohammad Hannan,
Martyrdom.
Dear Hannan,
I know you will never read this letter, but I could find no other way to utter my feelings. You died, the set of rules recognised you as a martyr, but to me, you are my hero. Trust me, I am not disappointed nor feel heartbroken for your immature death, you died as a hero. Every one of us will die one day, but how many of us would get the opportunity to die as a hero?
Comrade, you always used to say your memory will vanish soon after your death, but I can assure you that your memory will be safely preserved deep in my heart, where no bullet could ever touch it. You are not only a brother or comrade, you are more than any of that, the relationship between you and me is really indefinable.
You dreamt of an independent Bangladesh, I am more than sure we will achieve independence and the sacrifice of your precious blood will not be meaningless, because the motherland already gave birth to enough heroes to save its sovereignty, and heroes like you taught us how not to bow our heads to injustice.
Comrade, I want you to know that I miss you so much, I miss you when I see your silent machine gun, I miss you when I hear no shouting voice in the bloody battlefield, I miss you when in the moonlit night I hear no sudden romantic song, I miss you when I hear about the brutality of Pakistani military, I miss you when I feel lonely, I miss you when I feel fear, I miss you when I dream of a Bangladesh free from enemies, and if I stay alive till the end of the war, I will miss you in our independent Bangladesh.
I dont know how they will value your sacrifice, but I and warriors like us only call them heroes who pay the ultimate price to save their mother and motherland. You were a real soldier, fear the word was unknown to you, your only mission was to free Bangladesh from the enemy. And trust me, your extraordinary armed capability is truly distinctive, you have gone but your battle technique and fearless mindset still exist, which will lead Bangladesh to its independence.
You know, last night we conducted a crucial operation where we destroyed a full Pakistani military camp _ this was the first time I went to battle without you. Though you were absent in body, you were present with me in spirit, I always found you next to me with your devastating machine gun and piercing grenade.
Comrade, perhaps the future generation will forget your contribution for the country, but your sacrifice will be written in the golden word of God himself. You are not a person, you are the country itself, I can promise you one day your dream will become reality, people will breathe in fresh air of independent Bangladesh, our mother and sisters will intrepidly move around the country, people will express their demands fearlessly with a loud voice, and our countrymen will be treated as human beings.
No matter how many of us will have to sacrifice our lives, like you, we pledge that we will sacrifice the last drop of our blood to save our mother. You taught us how to die, which we learned hauntingly. The next babies will be born in the independent country with a precious identity, I promise we will give them a Bangladesh of peace.
Hey, how are you enjoying Heaven? Have you given up your wicked ways? Ooops those are secrets!! Have fun buddy; I will join you soon.
Your battlefield friend,
Shafiq Shikdar
NB: This letter is written from imagination to show the ultimate respect to our freedom fighters.
The writer is a researcher, working on South Asian politics and political economy.
