December is the month of victory for the Bangalees. With the surrender of the Pakistan armed forces on December 16, 1971, the Bangalees won the nine-month long Liberation War. However, the victory was earned at a high price--loss of hundreds of thousands of lives. For this reason, the legacy of our independence brings back nostalgia, pain and, of course, a sense of homage to those who sacrificed their lives for the independence of the country. The Liberation War Museum at Segun Bagicha preserves that invaluable legacy of the independence of Bangladesh.

To preserve and promote this consciousness of cultural heritage among the future generations that have not seen the Liberation War, a group of patriotic people joined hands: they founded the Liberation War Museum on March 22, 1996. The founding members are Aly Zaker, Asaduzzaman Noor, Sara Zaker, Rabiul Husain, Mofidul Haque, Akku Chowdhury, Ziauddin Tareq Ali and Sarwar Ali. Dr Sarwar is the present Member Secretary of the trustee board.

Entering the museum premises, one finds himself in front of the eternal flame, which burns in memory of the martyrs of the Liberation War. The Shikha Chirantan, as it is called in Bangla, instantly inspires respect and nostalgia for those who sacrificed their lives for the country.

According to the last count, the museum has collected 10,730 objects related to our Liberation War until May 2004. These include rare photographs, documents, clippings of media coverage, artifacts and materials used by freedom fighters and martyrs of the war. A recent inclusion is a black Morris Minor 1000 car used during 1971 by Dr Fazle Rabbi. He was killed by the Pakistani army towards the end of the war. On his last day too he went in that car to see a patient.

The museum has six galleries displaying the exhibits in chronological order of events that paved the way of the war. Gallery I presents the history and specimens of the rich cultural heritage of Bengal, the advent of the British rule and its end, giving rise to the country named Pakistan in 1947.

Exhibits in Gallery II depict the Pakistan period marked by united struggle of people for secular democracy while upholding national culture. Its documentation ends with the victory of the nationalist forces in the general election of 1970.

Gallery III projects the atrocities of the then Pakistani regime--their denial of popular verdict, non-cooperation movement of the Bangalees in March 1971, genocide by military authority, and establishment of provisional government by elected representatives.

The next three galleries give the most agonising experience as they display memorabilia, finds from the battlefields and other objects that demonstrate the nature of our armed struggle. Objects used by freedom fighters and martyrs, documents of international support, role of the collaborators of military regime, killing of intellectuals, excavated human remains, the final attack of the allied forces and the victory on December 16 have enriched the collection.

A kiosk at the museum sells posters, T-shirts, replicas of the National Flag used at the time of the war and other souvenirs.

The museum also has a library containing about 3,000 books on different aspects of the Liberation War: history and background of the war, armed struggle, repression and genocide, international reaction, opinions of Pakistanis and literature. The museum itself has four publications--Bangladesh Newsletter, 1971: Documents on Crimes against Humanity…, My Story of 1971 by Muhammad Anisur Rahman and Muktijuddher Boi--a catalogue of books on our Liberation War.

Besides, the museum has different projects of which the Outreach Programme and the Mobile Museum programme have earned a lot of appreciation. A huge bus mounted with 360 photographs and objects travels to all parts of the country so that those who cannot visit the museum can at least get a glimpse of it. Launched in 1999, the project aims at human rights and peace education for students in the light of the history of the Liberation War. After each exhibition, an interactive meeting is held with students and they are encouraged to collect eyewitness accounts of 1971 and send it to the Liberation War Museum.

'The response is excellent and we hope we will be able to build a central archive of these historical accounts,' says Member Secretary Dr Sarwar Ali.

However, it is a matter of pity that of such a huge collection only 1,300 objects can be displayed for visitors at the Liberation War Museum due to space constrains. Currently housed in rented premises, the museum is looking for suitable land where a proper museum can be built.

'The young generation has tremendous interest in the history of our Liberation War.Despite the political divide in the country we have so far been honest to history,' says Sarwar Ali.