Memories ablaze

Kabori Sarowar

"In the beginning of 1971 regular hartals and protests made our work irregular. This is when I could comprehend the full impact of the movement for our freedom. My friends in the film industry and well-wishers suggested that I should move to Chittagong (my parents' home) until the situation improved. I took their advice. On the night of March 25, I was stuck at Chittagong Cantonment at a friend's house. When we were able to go out of the house, we were shocked to see the changes overnight. The streets were abandoned, trenches were noticeable; it was obvious that a war was on," says the seasoned actor.

"Chittagong city didn't seem safe at that point, so I along with my family shifted to our village home near Sholo Shahar. Not much luck there either. The war had fully broken out by then and it pervaded our lives. We were repeatedly being told to cross the border, like many were doing. Eventually we decided to do that and a group of about 30 people that included my children, some teachers and me, started moving towards the Sabroom border on April 19, 1971.

"Now when I look back, it doesn't seem that challenging but one cannot fully grasp what we went through during those perilous times. We had to walk for miles and sometimes we took ox-carts. Once we reached an area called Narayanhaat, near the Indian-Bangladesh border, Captain Qader who was in charge of the local guerrillas, recognised me. He and his comrades agreed to help us cross the border. But we had to be very cautious as the Pakistani Military closely guarded the whole area. Along with my children, I made it safely across the border. However, after a few days I received news of Captain Qader's death at the hands of the Pakistanis. I can still remember that valiant young man. It was because of the ultimate sacrifice of millions of people like him, that we can call ourselves Bangladeshis today," says an emotive Kabori.

"We were received in Agartala, India by Anil Bhattacharjee, a correspondent of Daily Jugantor. Several politicians from our country were staying at his place as well. It was Anil who motivated us to share our experiences and the brutalities of the War with the general people there. After a while we went to Calcutta (now Kolkata). I was asked to deliver a public speech in Calcutta by Hossain Ali, in charge of the Bangladesh Mission in India and a few others. When speaking about the atrocities on our people by the Pakistanis, I broke into tears quite a few times. It truly was an experience of a lifetime. Akashbani used to air excerpts from my speech during the War.

"From Calcutta, I moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) and started participating with a team of artistes in shows to raise funds for the Freedom Movement. It was my honour to share a stage with legendary silver screen diva, Nargis. Sunil Dutt, Dharmendra, Shatrughan Sinha were among the others who participated. IS Johar wanted to make a film on the Liberation War named Jai Bangla. I was cast in the movie in the central character. I donated half of my remuneration to our Freedom Fighters. However, the movie didn't turn out the way we expected and we urged the Indian government to withhold the release of the movie. During my stay in Bombay, I worked with noted composer Salil Chowdhury for an album titled Ami Majider Maa Bolchhi, where I recited poems penned by him. The album was released by Megaphone Company," says a gleaming Kabori.

"I was in Bombay till the end of the war. I came to know that the war was over and we'd achieved a sovereign country called Bangladesh when I was doing an interview with BBC. I remember crying when I heard the news; I was ecstatic! Moments more glorifying than our Victory in 1971 haven't occurred in our history as of yet but we should never forget the sacrifices we had to make," adds Kabori.