Touch Of Awakening

15 July, 2024, Monday-

I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a post in front of me and panicked. The post was:

" The students of Eden are being held captive... they are being beaten and doused with hot water. "

I went inside the group to verify the authenticity. There are many more such posts. I'm afraid I started to worry. What condition are they in now? Why are they being tortured? I don't know what's going on. There are no updates. Hands and feet are cold. Immediately I remembered Ishrat. Ishrat is my classmate. She has an elder sister, who currently attends Eden. I called Ishrat. After calling her several times, when she did not pick up the call, I sent her the post and messaged her.

"Your sister also studies in Eden, right? Is she at home? Does she know anything? What's going on there? "

I started to wait. Ishrat saw my message after 5 minutes. Three dots appear on the screen. I thought maybe she was replying to my message. But after a while the dot three got deleted and no message came. My excitement doubled. I thought whether to call or not. I am caught in this dilemma. One more click and the call goes to Ishrat. But to click that one, it's as if the whole world is blocking me. Once I think by calling to see if the call is picked up, then I can find out and if she not picked up, what will happen! Thinking about this, when I was about to call, I thought again that if her sister had gone to college, then they must be very worried. Is it right to bother her by calling right now!

Ishrat calls from the other side when my condition is almost gone in such a dilemma. I was shocked to see Ishrat's call. So mistakenly I cut the call. Immediately I slapped my cheek and called Ishrat. Ishrat immediately picked up the call. 

"Hello..! Why did you cut the phone?"

"Mistake.... Is your sister at home or at university?"

"She is in the university."

Ishrat says this in a very calm voice. I wonder, whose sister is trapped like that, how is she so calm? How to speak in such a calm voice? Doesn't she know this matter! Questions arose in mind, all kinds of questions. 

I asked, "people says the students of Edan are being held back!"

"Yes, you messaged me a while ago."

I couldn't contain myself anymore. I directly asked her, "How are you so calm? Your sister is trapped in there... Aren't you worried!"

"What can I do without being calm? Is there any use in thinking? Or is there any use in getting excited? What is the point of getting excited or crying or thinking? My sister went to war, to fight. If she dies in this battle, she will be a martyr. And I am Shahid's sister. No one will be happier than me."

"Your parents didn't say anything?"

"What will they say? They are the ones who sent my sister to the movement and asked me to go too. I will go, I will go and stand by my sister's side tooo. We two sisters will stand together against injustice. I will leave the country free again and if it cost my life, it will go..... I am not afraid of death."

Then we had a little talk. After hanging up I kept thinking about Israt and her family. What a brave family! How brave her parents! Or the state of the country, how can anyone allow their children to go to the movement! The way Chhatra League are attacking the agitator is not visible. Now I understand how the country became independent in 1971, and for whom it became independent. 

__

10 p.m, I am teaching my student. Right now, My student is reading Chapter 1 of Bangladesh and world identity. This chapter highlights all the events during the liberation war. The student looked at me questioningly as she read. 

I ask her, "Say something?"

She replied, "Madam, I have read in many books that those who gave food, water, shelter and hiding place to freedom fighters during the war are also freedom fighters. So my grandfather, your father, my neighbors will not get the training of freedom fighters? They are called Razakars, but why? My grandfather gave blood to the freedom fighters if they needed blood, so didn't my grandfather's blood flow through the freedom fighters! My neighbors gave them fruits and vegetables from their fields. How many places did your father and grandfather take the freedom fighters by boat at night? So how did I become the grandson of Razakar? How did your father become the son of Razakar? How did we become Rajakar? Why are we called Rajakar? The Razakars are not the ones who helped Pak-invading forces! Tortured the freedom fighters! Abla has entertained themselves and the Pakistani invasion forces with women! "

I was surprised to hear my student's words. How can a girl studying in class 5 be so protestant! How these things come to her mind! I was surprised. These things may not have occurred to many of us. Maybe many of us didn't think so deeply. But this little girl did. Because she has talent, she has incredible courage, she has the power of protest.

I replied, "She who spoke did not think as you think. She does not think what you think. Maybe she should not use the word Razaka. "

"Do adults talk without thinking and understanding? If that's the case, I don't want to grow up."

I smiled and said, "You know what Bangabandhu used to say! He said that when a person falls, he makes mistakes step by step."

My student smiled happily understanding the meaning of my words. After that, she was happy and started studying again. 

Seeing people like my student, Israt and her family makes me realize how important education is in our lives. I'm not just talking about education. I am talking about the education of humanity, the education of understand right and wrong, the education of protest. I read an article by Pramandha Kumar while in 10 Grade. The title of the article was "reading books". 

He said, ❝ Only well-educated people are self-educated. ❞

Today I completely understood the meaning of his words. We studied all our life only for good results, whereas our studies should be for gaining knowledge. Only then will the nation be aware and protest.