Mahbub Morshed

DHAKA, Feb 19, 2025 (BSS) - After the July uprising, Bangladesh is 
standing at a new crossroad in history. The opportunity to build a 
democratic, independent and discrimination free Bangladesh has once 
again come before the people.

The possibilities of a new Bangladesh created in 2024 at the cost of 
blood of 1500 martyrs and countless severe injured students and 
people, which was an almost impossible even a few days before August 
5. 
 
Many people thought that the fascist regime that was hanging over us 
like the ghost of Sindabad was invincible and insurmountable.

Especially after the dummy elections of January 7, many people were 
gradually losing hope. They thought that this was the future of fascist 
Bangladesh, but, another destiny had been secretly written on the 
history. The movement to build a discrimination-free Bangladesh had 
awakened in educational institutions.
 
Of course, student awakening and mass uprisings led by students are 
nothing new in the history of Bangladesh. Rather, it is as if this is the 
rule. Whenever the country plunged into a deep crisis, when all hope is 
lost, then the students come forward. The great masses call them out on 
the path.
 
This is perhaps a special feature of our agriculture-based society.

It is a special mindset.  At the center of this mindset is a hopeful vision 
for the future generation. For many years, the peasant community has 
had this myth that their college or university student will take on the 
responsibility of the family in the future and lead the family towards a 
new future. This myth is still alive today. Not only in rural communities, 
but also in the urban middle class communities that have come from 
villages, families believe that their sons and daughters will pass 
university, take on the responsibility of the family and change their 
fortunes.

These fragmented dreams of families may turn into collective dreams on 
a special day in history. A large section of the people unanimously 
places the responsibility of building the future of the nation in the hands 
of the students. Or the students take up that responsibility and the public 
expresses its support for it in one sentence.
 
We had seen such incidents happening in 1952, 1969, 1990. Whenever 
the nation has been plunged into deep crisis and the students have 
shown the way out of that crisis, the common people have woken up and 
have unquestioningly stepped in and rescued the nation from the crisis.
 
However, this 2024 mass uprising was much broader and deeper than 
the previous mass uprisings and movements. The number of casualties 
was much higher. The students proved with their lives that they really 
wanted a change. And in exchange for those lives, people came and 
stood by them. 

National unity was created, the unity of the nation drove out the fascists 
and created new possibilities.
 
We have now entered the process of translating that possibility into a 
reality. The outline of change and reorganization that the youth 
presented through their movement is now being widely discussed. The 
interim government under the leadership of Dr. Muhammad Yunus is 
working with an unprecedented vision. A massive campaign is underway 
for reforms. There will definitely be disagreements, if there are different 
opinions in society, there will be different paths. But the youth have 
created such a reality, they have awakened such a dream in the minds 
of people from which it is very difficult to come back.
 
The nation will plunge into massive frustration, if new and restructured 
Bangladesh is not created. 

As a result, this work will have to be carried out successfully. The 
dreams that the youth have sown through the movement, through the 
mass awakening, will have to be kept alive. In remembrance and 
celebration, the power of the youth will have to remain united at any cost 
so that Bangladesh can take on a new journey.
 
We must keep in mind the words of the martyrs who turned the 
impossible into possible and move forward in front of our comrades. We 
must turn the dream of building a new Bangladesh into a festival of 
youth.