Chinua Achebe, The Lighthouse

"There was a writer named Chinua Achebe in whose company the prison walls fell."
That was what Nelson Mandela said. What a beautiful expression by the greatest leader of Africa on the greatest mind of Africa. He was very closed to us. His famous novel"Things Fall Apart" is one of the finest addition to the world literature..
We, living in "third world" or postcolonial world/age can follow this maestro in carrying the native and universal together in writing...
"Things Fall Apart" the title of the novel taken from "The Second Coming" by W. B. Yeats.
"Things fall apart, centre cannot hold
mere anarchy is loosed upon the world"

The Unfinished Memoirs: How Muslim League Failed

"How had the Muslim League, a party that had been so enthusiastically supported by people in 1947, tasted defeat so swiftly? It could be put down to coterie politics, rule of tyranny, inefficient administration and absence of sound economic planning. The country continued to be ruled according to British policies. But people had expected the administration to run according to different principles in a free land. They had hoped that after the English left they wouldn't be exploited and would truly get the opportunity to improve their lot. Now their hopes were belied. People were getting frustrated.
Unfortunately, our leaders weren't bothered by the discontent being expressed by the masses. Jinnah's death had seen the birth of cliques and the beginning of the politics of conspiracy. Liaquat Ali Khan had now monopolized power. He couldnt tolerate anyone else. He used to talk about democracy but he never practised it. The people of East Bengal had loved and respected Jinnah. People had his name on their lips everywhere.. One wonders if things would have turned out differently if Mr Jinnah had left behind a constitution. Whatever he did or had to say used to be accepted by the masses."

The Unfinished Memoirs(page127-128) by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

The Unfinished Memoirs : Reading Between the Lines- Sheikh Mujib on Left Student Bodies

"There were a few left-leaning students who disliked the government. But the kind of ideas they tried to propagate offended the general students and the public. I used to tell them, 'While ordinary people still like to walk you all tend to have your heads in the clouds and fly. They do not understand your language and will not accompany you in your flights. You should only give the public as much food for thought as they can digest.' This made these communists speak out against me but they failed to attract the student world in any way."
The extract above is taken from "The Unfinished Memoirs"(page116-117) by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Here we'll see a mark of wisdom and incite from a leader in his beginning. How the lefts, communists were disconnected from the public and how their opinion and stands were too hard to catch or absorb by the masses. Where the lefts and communists failed Mujib succeeded. He could understand the every pulse of his people and could gave them 'as much food for thought as they can digest'.

The Unfinished Memoirs: Reading Between the Lines

"Mr Atlee' speech( Mr. Clement Atlee became the prime minister of Britain after 2nd world war) on the subject did not mention the Muslim demand for Pakistan. Instead, he had slighted the demands of the minority community in it. Let me give a short extract of what Mr Atlee had said in his speech here: 'Minorities cannot be allowed to impede the progress of majorities.' The Congress greeted his speech with Satisfaction. However, Mr Muhammad Ali Jinnah was highly critical of it"

This extract is taken from page 53 of "The Unfinished Memoirs" by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He we will get a clear instance how in the time time of British rule Muslims as a minorities were ignored. That is why Muslims had to struggle for their own land and Pakistan was the result of it. The same thing happen with us in the time of Pakistan. Though in a numerically Bengalees were majority but in power ratio we're far behind. The Pakistani Juntas treated us as a weak, fickle minorities and deprived us from our very basic rights. We came away from Pakistan and made our own country out of a bloody struggle. To make this independence and the sacrifice of the millions meaningful we should take care of the rights people irrespective of castes, colors, parties, religions and races.


Lets everyone become the petal of a beautiful flower called Bangladesh

Dhaka University Reading Club:58th Public Lecture

Mr. Mehadi Arif with his superb oratory and theatrical performance enchanted us in our todays session on Ahmad Sharif.
He introduced us with the man of great stature, dignity, honest and originality with enough details and references to us. Thanks and gratitude to the speaker..
We think it is just a humble beginning of us in our pursuit of knowing Ahmad Sharif and his huge volume of works. We hope we will nurture his strong dedication and love for knowledge. How a person should research and drive deep into the bottom of knowledge and wisdom, he is a symbol and mark of excellence.
We may differ with him in many issues but we should follow his path of lone journey in the pursuit of excellence and wisdom. And we should always stand apart as a beacon of hope in the wilderness and a lighthouse in a stormy ocean. Bangladesh needs more soldiers of that kind who are self-assumed general and dedicated fighters, fighters against evil and ignorance and for the betterment of people.
Thanks and gratitude to all of you for your presence and input with the motion. Hope you all will continue staying with us..

Dhaka University Reading Club: 57th Public Lecture

We're greatly humbled with the presence of 100+ participants in our session today. It is the record highest presence:) And the presence of girls also a good sight and their participation with todays motion was inspiring which make us hopeful of the future uplifting of the woman folk of Bangladesh. Special thanks and gratitude to all the girls present today.
We are also very pleased with all other participants, the input you all have given today with the topic. All of your points are really eye-opening. Hope you will continue staying with us.
Special thanks to the speaker today for his excellent delivery. It was an amazing performance from a master speaker. He talked with various dimensions which gave us great insight.
Special thanks to Bahram Khan Soron for his superb moderation of the session. Silvy did excellent job with her photography. Thanks to two other guests photographer as well.
The special note will come soon and the the pics as well.
Until then stay well..

The Shaping Up of A Future Statesman, Founder of A Nation

"Those among us who were young or were students or were progressive-minded took up these points and began to speak out on them.(Abul Hashim led the intellectual body at the beginning of Pakistan and Sheikh Mujib was very closed to him along with Hossen Shahid Shuhrawardy)
We needed to realize Pakistan and it was important to spell out what kind of economic and political framework Pakistan would have once it was created.
Mr Hashim(Abul Hashim) would spend hours indoctrinating us on these issues. He would come to Dhaka for a few days at a time and would sit down with party workers to discuss these issues. He would also spend a lot of time in the Calcutta Muslim League office for similar meetings. He would always keep in touch with party workers. I accompanied him to many such meetings."(page33, The Unfinished Memoirs, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman)

-I always tried to know how Sheikh Mujib taught himself in his beginning years with the spheres of politics, introduced him with different state-operating mechanisms.. The excerpt above is a fine example of his growing up with the masterminds of that time.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the name of an inspiration to me and to the millions of youth of Bangladesh and the world as well.
One of the statements of Hazrat Ali(R), one of the four khalips of Islam is still imprinted on my mind that is- "If you want to be leader, serve others."
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the finest example in the recent centuries to be a serving leader.. What a great sacrifice he made in his beginning years , how passionately, lovingly he served people. I'm greatly humbled and feel pity for myself as I bravely expressed myself to be a future statesman but I serve people little..
I hope, soon I'll try to be a serving human, I'll serve without hoping any gain, I'll serve without fearing anybody, I'll serve until I live.

Mother in the West/ Europe

" Hear me profess sincerely: had I a dozen sons, each in my love alike, and none less dear than thine and my good Martius, I had rather had eleven die nobly for their country, than one voluptuously surfeit out of action."
(The Tragedy of Coriolanus, Act-1, Scene.3,line-2--25 ,William Shakespeare)


Here Volumnia, the mother of Caius Martius(afterwards Caius Martius Coriolanus) motivating Virginia, the wife to Caius Martius not to worry about her husband that he is going to war.
She said earlier, "...when for a day of kings' entreaties, a mother should not sell him an hour from her beholding; I, considering how honour would become such a person-that it was no better than picture-like to hang by th'wall, if renown made it not stir-was pleased to let him seek danger where he was like to find fame. To a cruel war I sent him, from whence he returned, his brows bound with oak. I tell thee, daughter, I sprang not more in joy at first hearing he was a man-child, than now in first seeing he had proved himself a man."(Act1, Scene3, line5-15)

Here we'll see how she is saying to her daughter in law that giving birth to man-child is not enough rather one have to let his/her son to become "man"(emphasize).

I wonder by now, if the mother is so brave how her children will be! How courageous and vigorous he will be!

Let all the mothers of Bangladesh be like her..!

A brief history of the GREAT MOGHULS flamboyant rulers

"Again and again in his memoirs(Baburnama) he demonstrates a belief that defeated enemies must be conciliated rather than antagonized if they are to be ruled effectively afterwards, and that one's own followers must be prevented by rigid discipline from victimizing the local population. It was a belief which would play an important part in the great days of the Moghul empire"

A brief history of
THE GREAT MOGHULS flamboyant rulers by Bamber Gascoigne (with photographs by Christina Gascoigne
call: 954.025 GAB



Its a beautiful book to know about the great kings of Moghul empire.( I read the introduction and first 30 pages of the book).
How Babur as a teenage came to the throne and being driven by fate gone many hardships, failures , successes and again failures. How he failed thrice to win Samarkand which led him to focus towards the east which ended in winning India.
We will get a picture of prince always roaming around his territory seeking new land to reign.

The quotation at the beginning is a mark of his statesmanship and empire building abilities. We can still gather much wisdom from him..