Falgun: Time for rebellion and love

Spring, Basanta, starts today in Bangladesh as winter recedes, leaving a modest touch of Nature, reminding poet Subhash Mukhopadhyay's famous stanzas: "Phool Phutuk, Na Phutuk/Aj Bosonto" ( It is spring today, no matter if flowers bloom or not). In the urban life, it requires calendar to know the cycle of seasons and to welcome the spring on the first day of Falgun, the eleventh month of the traditional Bangla calendar, and the middle of February, the second month on the Gregorian calendar. February 14 is also celebrated worldwide as the Valentine's Day by couples to express their love and romance. Though it began in the Western world, the day has become popular in this part of the world over the last three decades. In Bangladesh, the day coincides with Pahela Falgun, making it a celebration, especially for youths.

Nevertheless, February 14 is an important day in Bangladesh's political history. Thirty-three years ago, on this day in 1983, students of Dhaka University launched a procession to protest the proposed 'Majid Khan Education Policy.' Indiscriminate police firing to stop the procession killed at least 10 protesters, including Jafar, Zainal, Dipali, and Kanchan. Paheal Palgun was stained with blood and tears. The killings sparked protest and anger across the country and the day emerged as the Autocracy Resistance Day. It eventually became a protest against Ershad's martial law regime and called for the restoration of democracy.

Not only the day, but the month of February is marked with a number of significant events in Bangladesh. Sixty years ago, on February 6, 1966, Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman presented his famous six-point programme in Lahore. By placing it, he formally called for greater autonomy and self-governance for East Pakistan within a federal Pakistan. The six-point movement gained tremendous popularity in the Bengali-majority eastern wing of the country as they had been systematically deprived of the legitimate rights as citizens.

The six-point was fiercely rejected by Pakistani rulers and politicians, who saw it as a plan to separate the eastern wing. Their fear came true seven years later, as the army's extreme brutality killed millions of Bengalis in nine months in 1971. In self-defence, people of East Bengal resisted and joined the war of liberation, leading to the liberation of Bangladesh as a sovereign nation on December 16, 1971. 

The ethos of Bangla language is embedded in Falgun and February. On February 23, 1948, Dhirendranath Dutta of East Bengal demanded that Bangla be included as an official language of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, alongside Urdu and English. His demand was rejected. This rejection sparked protests that would later shape the language movement. Finally, Falgun 8, or February 21, marked the ultimate moment of the language movement in 1952.

Again, the month in the final year of British India saw a key development towards independence from two centuries of colonial rule. On February 20, 1947, UK Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced a policy statement revealing the intention to transfer power in British India to Indian hands by June 1948. The statement is known as the British White Paper on India. Within six months of the announcement, India and Pakistan emerged as two sovereign states.

Linking any month with historical events does not mean that the month is more important than the events that took shape then. Instead, it is the event that signifies a month or a year. Again, a single big event may overshadow some other events. For instance, February had little importance if the language movement did not take place in this month.  So, reminding the event or events in a particular month can be interpreted from different perspectives. What is critical is the remembrance of one or more in relation to current reality.   

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