Here lie our Forefathers!!!

 Here lie our Forefathers!!!

 

Pic 1 - That's the sign indicating Mass Grave of unknown Martyred Intellectuals

Pic 2 - Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at Mirpur

Pic 3 - Martyred Intellectuals Memorial Plaza at Mirpur (on Eid-ul-Fitr 2013)

Pic 4 - Graveyard of Known Martyred Intellectuals

Here lie the Intellectual martyrs of our country who lost their precious lives on 14^th December, 1971 at the hands of opposition militia and opportunistic bastards of war. Look how we are respecting them.

People using the memorial plaza as a regular park, couples using it as a hideout to smooch in the corner and children using it as a play ground. 

 

Picture 1- children and even an adult woman sitting on the stone sign with “GONO KABAR” (MASS GRAVE) written on it, where apparently lie our scholars and luminaries. 

It is my sheer bad luck that I went there at the age of mid 20’s for the first time, being born and brought up in Mirpur. But from what I saw, I really doubt that’s the only misfortune I am bearing as a part of this nation, as a dweller of this vicinity. 

My friend with whom I went there to pay respects to his father, grandmother and uncle who are buried in the graveyard beside the Gono Kabar (Mass Grave) told me that I wouldn’t find a single splint of weed between the brick joints on the ground right before the Martyred Intellectuals Day on the 14^th December. The cleansing starts during early November keeping the day ahead. 

As a government, we commemorate our “think tank” forefathers on that special day of the year, as a nation we mourn them on that special day of the year, as citizens of this country we spit on their grave, we walk all over them, we through garbage at them, all around the year. 

In the same premises, a separate graveyard is guarded with local security (Picture 4) where lie some known Intellectuals and two “Bir Sreshtho” (The Most Valiant Hero, the highest military award of Bangladesh), Sepoy Hamidur Rahman and Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman. Why ignore unknown martyrs? Why can’t we look them after as well? Does it really take much? 

This is not a standalone incident; this is a regular scenario in every memorial of this country, the National Martyrs’ Memorial (Jatio Sriti Shoudho), The Martyr Monument (Central Shaheed Minar), you name it.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not against people visiting this beautiful place or children spending an afternoon with a true piece of history, something they would never experience with the ink of political manipulation splattered all over their text books. What I am against is, disrespecting our own Jewels. 

Shameful to say, this is what happens to a nation without education. So I ask again, who is responsible?