History repeats itself if we won’t learn from our mistakes.
Once there was a saying “Don’t ask for bread, but ask for a gun because that is cheaper”. Similarly, there is a saying in one of our neighbouring countries for her people “Don’t ask for your happiness and comfort, but ask for the disturbances and troubles for India. We will provide you that”.
From the very first moment of the birth of Pakistan, the rulers of Pakistan never sat quietly and never be satisfied whenever it is an issue with India. As in their hand came only the half of Bengal and half of the Punjab, their mind was stuck into the other half and how to hurt India by creating disturbances and letting these two parts separated out from India. For this, they started creating disturbances in the Punjab during the 1980s with a slogan for Khalistan. They misguided some of our brothers in the Punjab during that period and every one of my age and who is senior to me, know what happened in the Punjab during that time. Thanks to the Almighty, our misguided brothers realised the fact and returned to the mainstream of the nation and strengthen our hands for motherland. Now their target is the Eastern region of India.
In Bengal there is a proverb, “Baro mashe tero parbon” meaning in twelve months there are thirteen festivals. Festival means happiness, peace and harmony irrespective of caste, creed, sect and religion. From the period of Muslim rulers of Bengal, there were no major troubles regarding religion or sect. Though Bengal suffered a lot on various occasions like famine, invasions and natural calamities, but there were no problems with religion. People from every community and sect enjoyed every festival together, lived together at the moment of happiness and sorrow of their life. May it be a festival of Hindus or of Muslims or other religion, we celebrate them altogether. In fact, bonding between people of East Bengal (Bangladesh) & West Bengal lays in their common culture and its richness. We were known by the name ‘Bengali’ and not so called by any religion. This happiness causes annoyance in the eyes of the rulers of Pakistan. We know very well that everyone from Bengal joined their hands together to fight against British for independence during the British rule. But during the 1940s, when the Bengal Province of British India was under the government of Muslim League, they started creating problems here. They started provoking the Muslim community in Bengal for separation in favour of Pakistan. Though the entire community did not respond to them, they brought extremists from the western part of the country to create disturbances. Result was Calcutta riot (in August) and Noakhali killings (in November) in Bengal that broke out during 1946. All these did not affect the harmony between the common people of Bengal and hence after partition Muslim community from western part of Bengal (in India) did not migrate to the eastern part of Bengal (in Pakistan) though there were many incidences brutalism continued on the minority Hindu community in the Eastern part of Bengal that’s fall in the part of Pakistan. During “Mukti judha”, freedom for Bangladesh, we saw extreme brutalism by the army of Pakistan and their supporters in East Bengal on the Hindu community and freedom fighters for Bangladesh. Killing of people, including children and infants, was done in millions. Help and support from the government of India, especially Prime Minister Late Smt. Indira Gandhi, lead to the birth of a new nation, Bangladesh, which would be a safer place for all communities, caste and religions. In 16 December 1971, when the war ended and a treaty for peace and brotherhood was signed between the two Generals of army from India and Pakistan, government of Bangladesh and Indian army indicated mercy and safe path to the 90 thousand of soldiers from the army of Pakistan, who surrendered in front of Indian Army, to return to their homeland.
But the rulers of Pakistan never get a lesson and continue in their same old acts. The rulers of Pakistan never refrained themselves from missing any changes to create disturbances in India like thousands of terrorist attacks on India, the Kargil War and many more. Even after they themselves going to be economically bankrupt in the world. They are now creating various platform across the country for their plans. Recent happenings from present and past few months are really eye-opening for us to realise how far these extremists have gone and trying hard to get their roots deepen into the soil of Punjab and West Bengal again, may it be pro Khalistan movement in Punjab or extreme Islamic aggression in West Bengal.
It is now high time to wake up from the sleep and, irrespective of our caste, creed, sect and religion, we should stand shoulder to shoulder to protect the integrity of our nation.
Jai Hind.
@Spondon Ganguli
I’m the sole owner of this write-up and it an original piece of work.
Spondon Ganguli teaches Computer Science in a reputed English medium school. Apart from his profession, he writes poetry and short stories. He is the author of two poetry books titled ‘Forgotten Love Unforgotten Love’; Moner Obhibekti Ek Guccho Kobitaye’ and three fictions, two in English – ‘Let Me Hold Your Hand’ , ‘Do Not Leave Me’ and another in Bengali – ‘Phira Asha.’