Roads remember names, but do we?

“I always thought a road is named after someone who must be well known or important. But honestly, I don’t know why this person is famous or what they actually did.”

These words came from Sakib, a 17-year-old college student who lives on Shaheed Selina Parveen Road in Feni. He walks along this road every day on his way to college, yet knows little about the person after whom it is named.

Just like the aforementioned road in Feni, many other roads across the country are named after martyred intellectuals, yet they hold little significance for younger generations, as the contributions of these intellectuals have faded into oblivion due to the sheer apathy of those responsible for holding the ideals they cherished aloft. 

For those unversed in the contributions of Selina Parveen, she was a journalist and poet who published the magazine ‘Shilalipi’ in 1969. During the Liberation War, the magazine’s covers and writings angered the Pakistani army and their local collaborators, while she actively supported freedom fighters in Dhaka. For these activities, her name was listed by the Al-Badr. 

Al-Badr was an auxiliary force of the Pakistani army, largely composed of members of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami.

On 13 December 1971, Al-Badr members abducted Selina Parveen from her home in Siddheshwari. The following day, she was among the many intellectuals killed at Rayerbazar. Her body was found with her eyes tied. She was buried at Azimpur graveyard on 18 December. Selina Parveen was born on 31 March 1931 in Feni.

When Sakib was told these facts and asked whether he knew of any other intellectuals from his district, he could recall no name except Zahir Raihan.

Explaining why he knew only Zahir Raihan, Sakib said, “I read about him in books when I was in school and heard about him from my teachers. I know he was a filmmaker, but I’ve never watched any of his films.” Zahir Raihan, however, was not only a filmmaker.

He was also a novelist and short story writer. He began his career as a journalist at ‘Juger Alo’ in 1950 and was actively involved in the Language Movement of 1952, attending the historic Amtala gathering on 21 February. The influence of that movement is clearly reflected in his iconic film ‘Jibon Theke Neya’.

On 30 January 1972, after learning that his brother Shahidullah Kaiser and others were being held captive by Biharis in Mirpur, Zahir Raihan went to Mirpur-12, accompanied by an army and police convoy. Around 9:30am, Biharis opened fire near the Kalapani water tank.

After that sudden shooting, the whereabouts of Zahir Raihan could never be traced. Although Mirpur was freed the next day, on 31 January, his body was never found.

This picture is not unique to Sakib. A similar lack of awareness is evident among many in the younger generation, often referred to as Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Blaming this generation alone for not knowing about the martyred intellectuals of 1971 would, however, miss the bigger picture. 

   

Zahir Raihan was born on 19 August 1935 in Majupur village of Nawabpur Union under Sonagazi upazila in present-day Feni district. Yet, even 54 years after independence, there is little visible effort in Feni to preserve his memory.

On the city’s Mizan Road, in front of the District Council building, once stood the Shaheed Zahir Raihan Auditorium. Former coordinator of Feni Theatre, Kazi Iqbal Ahmed, said, “After the demolition of the auditorium, theatre practice in Feni has become stagnant. Theatre maestro Selim Al Deen and filmmaker Gias Uddin Selim also staged plays at this auditorium.”

The auditorium, however, was demolished 17 years ago. Today, no physical structure in the city remains that is directly linked to Zahir Raihan’s memory.

In this context, Sakib told this correspondent that he now plans to learn more about these intellectuals by watching videos on YouTube.

In today’s world, those who practise intellectual work, write and create digital content are also the intellectuals of our time. To understand what today’s youth think about contemporary intellectuals, this correspondent spoke to a university student, Muzahidul Islam Joy.

“The intellectuals of 1971 and earlier times left behind their thoughts, values and protests against injustice through their work, just as Zahir Raihan did through his films,” he said. “Those works carried such lasting value that we are still discussing them even after 54 years.”