While their hands holding rifles were tough on the enemies, their lips still carried the song manifesting the spirit of independence.
Freedom fighters singing the national anthem, in chorus, testifies to that spirit in a video captured by war correspondent Geeta Mehta in 1971 during the Liberation War.
Quoting the simple yet profound first line of the national anthem, “My golden Bengal, I love you,” Bangabandhu’s grandson Radwan Mujib Siddiq posted the video on his Facebook account today, making Independence Day.
The video appearing in Geeta Mehta’s documentary “Dateline Bangladesh” shows freedom fighters clad in undervests and lungi -- clothes typical of commoners -- singing the song standing on a green field. Mehta was working for the US TV network NBC in 1971.
Wartime melodies resonated with the spirit of Bengali nationalism during the 1971 Liberation War that inspired the nation to resist the genocide launched by Pakistan army and fight for freedom.
In observance of Independence Day, a number of war-time songs performed by different bands at this year’s ‘Joy Bangla Concert’ have also been shared from the Facebook page of Young Bangla, the largest youth platform in the country.
This year’s Joy Bangla Concert was attended by Radwan Mujib with the prime minister making a surprise appearance. The concert paid tribute to the historic March 7, 1971 speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Radwan Mujib, also a CRI trustee, took initiatives to relaunch the wartime songs through Joy Bangla Concert to instill in youths the essence of independence earned through the sacrifice of three million martyrs.