Mujib’s time in Kolkata was vital for his political upbringing

The 1940s was a tumultuous period in Kolkata politically and economically. The man-made famine of 1943, the Hindu-Muslim riots and the great Calcutta killings ravaged the socio-economic fabric of the society in east and west Bengal -- the effects of which are still felt.

Then there was Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's great escape from India and the partition of the subcontinent.

All these events left a lasting imprint on the young mind of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in his formative years as a student and a political activist.

Mujib spent only five years in Kolkata from 1942 to 1947. But his experiences as a student activist in that short time contributed to shaping his political thoughts and vision of an inclusive economic and secular political culture.

The one lasting thread running through his stay in Kolkata was his raw courage in the face of adverse situations.

When police charged at protesting students, Mujib would step in without batting an eyelid and put himself up as a shield between the batons charged mercilessly and the hapless protesters.

He was the first among the student leaders who rushed to do famine relief work and try dousing the communal conflagration.

On each occasion, when the going got tough, or even life-threatening, Mujib got going, without fail.

No biography of Mujib is complete without shedding light on his Kolkata stay.

It is this part of his life that India's acclaimed filmmaker Goutam Ghose has focused on in his 63-minute documentary "Mujib in Calcutta". It tells the story of the college years of the man who rose to become Bangabandhu and then the father of the nation after Bangladesh was liberated through a nine-month war.

"This period was very important for Mujib's political upbringing," stated Goutam during a tete-a-tete with The Daily Star during his recent visit to Dhaka.

So popular was Mujib with the students at the then Islamia College of Kolkata, later renamed Maulana Azad College, that none went against him when he was simultaneously involved with student politics as well as the Muslim League, said the director who has delved into the details of his life in Kolkata.

The documentary will also include Mujib's first-ever Kolkata visit in 1934 for medical treatment and his historic speech at a public meeting at the Brigade Parade Ground in the city on February 6, 1972, soon after his return from prison in Pakistan, Goutam said.

The documentary got the go-ahead after Mujib's eldest daughter and Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina watched it on April 26.

It was originally titled "Kolkatay Bangabandhu", but Hasina suggested changing the title and recommended "Mujib in Calcutta", citing her logic that during his life there, he was not known as Bangabandhu yet, Goutam said.

His documentary vividly recreated the memories of Mujib's Kolkata life as his camera captured the Islamia College campus, Mujib's politics as the general secretary of the college's student union, his room no-24 of Baker Hostel, Alimuddin Street, Park Circus and the Muslim League office where Mujib had spent his time.

The Indian director, critically acclaimed for films like "Padma Nadir Majhi", "Antarjali Jatra", "Moner Manush", "Sankhachil", "Ma Bhumi", "Paar" and "Kaalbela", said Mujib's years in Kolkata was an important period for the sub-continent as well.

"During that period, Mujib was involved in relief work during the famine of 1943. He was witness to Hindu-Muslim riots and the great Calcutta killings. He saw the flight of Subhas Bose from India and used to listen to Bose's speeches from Singapore on the radio," the director continued.

Goutam had to face hurdles in making the documentary due to a lack of authentic and recorded information.  He relied heavily on Mujib's "Unfinished Autobiography", Sheikh Hasina's book "Sheikh Mujib Amaar Pita", interviews with Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana and with Mujib's friend, 101-year-old Nihar Chakraborty, to make the documentary.

"In our country, the main problem is the [lack of] archival material for making such a documentary. We have no picture or video of that time when Bangabandhu was in Kolkata. Moreover, it's a political documentation about Bangabandhu when he started his political life.

"Had Sheikh Hasina not preserved Bangabandhu's autobiography, a vital chapter of history would have been lost and people would have never known the history of that period," said the filmmaker, adding that Hasina must be credited for "unveiling an important slice of history".

"But when I started research on the topic, I was fortunate to have found Nihar Chakraborty, who was Bangabandhu's contemporary. He is the only living person who witnessed Bangabandhu's Kolkata life and was involved with the student movements with him."

Goutam said that according to Nihar, Sheikh Mujib was an amiable person who used to go all out to help his friends and never considered religion, caste and creed when choosing them.

The director said the documentary on Mujib was important for him for two reasons. "First, I was young during the Bangladesh Liberation War, and then I was present at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata in 1972, hearing his historic speech, and secondly my ancestors were from Faridpur [Bangabandhu's home district]."

He added, "I've been making the documentary as my responsibility to history. I wanted to apprise the young generation of the political upbringings of Bangabandhu."

The duration of the documentary was at first only half an hour, but it became longer with the addition of interviews of Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana.

Jointly funded by the Bangladesh government and an Indian NGO named "Friends of Bangladesh", the documentary has no character. The director himself describes the history of that time, where footage of some historical places of Kolkata related to Bangabandhu and footage of the Liberation War are shown.

Goutam said he was in Dhaka to screen the documentary to Hasina and get her green signal.

"I felt the documentary should not be brought to public domain without her prior approval. The PM saw and loved it. She thanked me, and I told her it was my responsibility."

Replying to a question about when the documentary might be released, he said it depends on the Bangladesh government.