March 7th Speech is the Inspiration for Freedom

Advocate Md Rayhan Ali

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the guide of liberation of the people of this country from the hands of the Pakistani occupying forces. Bangabandhu raised the oppressed, disenfranchised and neglected people from the middle of the abyss when the Pakistani hyenas were engaged in injustice, exploitation and oppression of the innocent people of this country.

 In 1970, the Awami League won an absolute majority in the National Assembly elections in Pakistan.  But Pakistan's military junta began delaying the transfer of power to the group.  In fact, their intention was to somehow keep power in the hands of West Pakistani politicians.  In this situation, the President of Pakistan General Yahya Khan convened a session of the National Assembly on March 3.  But unexpectedly, on March 1, the session was adjourned indefinitely.  The news sparked protests in East Pakistan. 

A simultaneous hartal was observed in Dhaka on March 2 and across the country on March 3 under the leadership of Awami League chief Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He announced the program of all-out non-cooperation movement in the whole of East Bengal at a huge public meeting held at Paltan Maidan on 3rd March. 

He addressed a joint rally of Chhatra League and Sramik League at Paltan Maidan on the same day.  "Maybe this is my last speech," he said.  .... If I don't stay, the movement won't stop.  So that the freedom movement of Bengalis does not stop.  Even if I die, 70 million people will see that the country has become truly independent. 'Against this backdrop, on March 7, 1971, at the Racecourse Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan) in Ramna, Dhaka.  The 16-minute historic speech he delivered was essentially a testament to the liberation of the Bengali nation.  Here are some excerpts from the historic speech:

"Today I have appeared before you with a sad heart. You all know and understand. We have tried with our lives. But sadly, today in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur the highway is stained with my brother's blood.  "Today the people of Bengal want liberation, the people of Bengal want to live, the people of Bengal want their rights. What wrong did I do?  The people of the country will be liberated economically, politically and culturally. The history of painting.

We gave blood in 1952. We could not sit on the throne even after winning the election in 1954. Ayub Khan enacted martial law in 1956 and kept us as slaves for ten years.  One of my sons was shot and killed.  After the fall of Ayub Khan in the 1969 movement, when Yahya Khan took over the government, he said, give constitution to the country, give democracy.

 We agreed remember, when I give blood, I will give more blood.  I will release the people of this country inshallah ... but if an attempt is made to destroy the people of this country, the Bengalis will work with understanding.  Build Sangram Parishad under the leadership of Awami League in every village, every mahalla and be ready with whatever you have. Remember, when I give blood, I will give more blood.

 I will release the people of this country inshallah. This time the struggle is for our liberation, this time the struggle is for freedom. Joy Bangla". (Source: Banglapedia, Volume 13, Bangladesh Asiatic Society).

This speech is the key to the liberation of the people of this country. This speech was not written. Complete Bangabandhu's foresight and genius, intelligence, instantaneous speech from the light of knowledge, like many. The speech has a total pronunciation of 1106 words, an average of 48 to 50 words per minute, a speech in a beautiful sentence format in a spontaneously raised voice. There was no repetition of any kind of words in the speech, not even an exaggeration.

The whole speech is a presentation on Bangabandhu's political genius. The speech was translated into 13 languages.  As the 13th, the speech was translated into the Kudmali language of the Mahato ethnic group, which is the 1st translation in the language of the ethnic group. Newsweek magazine recognized Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as a 'poet of politics'. 

The book, You Shall Fight on the Beaches - The Speeches That Inspired History, published in the United States in 2014, contains the best speeches in the history of the world for nearly two and a half thousand years. Receives Bangabandhu's historic speech on March 7.

In 2015, a Canadian professor published a book on historical speeches from around the world.  On 30 October 2016, UNESCO recognized the speech as a 'Documentary Heritage'.  A total of eight speeches were collected, including the March 7 speech at UNESCO's 'Memory of the World International Register (MOW)'.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's historic March 7th speech on the glorious history of the great liberation war and freedom struggle is the main source of our inspiration.  The heroic struggle of the Bengalis and the direction of that speech of the Father of the Nation in the war of self-armed liberation was the keynote of Vajra solid national unity at that time.

This historic speech gave immense strength and courage to the freedom struggle of Bangladesh which was achieved in return for the self-sacrifice of the Bengalis. This speech is a timeless epic of emancipation of a disenfranchised people. This speech created vigor and hypnotic power in the hearts of Bengalis. This speech makes people freedom-loving and protest against injustice. This speech was multi-dimensional.  This speech is an invaluable document not only for the Bengalis of this country but also for the world humanity.

 This historic discourse will inspire from age to age in the bright ideals of democracy, sacrifice and patriotism, the struggle for justice against inhuman injustice, the struggle for the liberation of world humanity against caste discrimination and oppression.  From ordinary citizens to political leaders, prudent statesmen, military personnel, there are many instructive things to follow in this speech.

The instructions and calls given by Bangabandhu to the freedom-loving Bengalis in his speech on 7th March were followed to the letter by the Bengalis. As a result, we have got an independent flag, map and an independent state in the history of the world in exchange for the honor of 3 million martyrs and 200,000 mothers and sisters who fought the enemy for nine months with strength and courage considering that speech as inspiration.


Md Rayhan Ali is a Advocate and Columnist, Judge Court, Khulna