It’s a concerning trend in Bangladesh that anti-India and anti-Hindu slogans have become a shortcut to popularity. The more one engages in these activities, the easier it is to rise as a leader.
The demand to change the national anthem has now reached its peak. The author of this anthem is the poet Rabindranath.
Rabindranath, the author of our national anthem, was not just Indian; he was also a Hindu.
How can a song written by this Indian Hindu be the national anthem of a Muslim-majority country like Bangladesh? This is the big question now.
Hence, the people of the country are demanding a change in the national anthem.
Some are even demanding a change in the national flag, as the designer of the Bangladeshi national flag, Shib Narayan Das, is also a Hindu. So, change is desired.
Very well.
The national anthem can be changed. The government can declare another song as the national anthem and remove this Indian Hindu’s song from the country.
At the same time, a new flag can be designed to remove the Hindu designer’s name. This way, the traces of Hindu names in the country’s history would be erased.
But I wonder, how will the Hindu essence be removed from independence? Bangladesh’s independence was given by India. The war of 1971 was essentially a war between India and Pakistan. History bears witness.
You might argue, “The Bangladeshis fought for it.”
That argument holds no ground.
If the war was with Bangladeshis, the Pakistani soldiers would have surrendered to them. Since the war was fought with India, Pakistani soldiers surrendered to the Indian army.
The Indian Hindu forces came, liberated Bangladesh, and handed it over to the Bangladeshis. How will you change this independence? The names of Hindus and India are ingrained in Bangladesh’s independence. How will you solve this problem?
Change the independence along with the national anthem and the national flag. Hand the country back to Pakistan. Say, “We do not want the independence given by India and the Hindus.”
Image: From Wikipedia on Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
(Lieutenant General A.A.K. Niazi signing the instrument of surrender on behalf of Pakistan, while Jagjit Singh Aurora signs on behalf of India and Bangladesh, Dhaka, December 16, 1971.)
