Special days and festival- part 2

Pohela Boishakh

Bengali New Year, we also called Nobo borsho or Pohela Boishakh, is the first day of the Bengali calendar. It is a national holiday of Bangladesh. Also it is celebrated in west Bengal, Assam, Tripura. It connects all ethnic Bengalis, irrespective of religious and regional differences. It is celebrated either in 14 or 15 April and it depends on the use of the new amended or the old Bengali calendar respectively. In Bangladesh, it is celebrated on April 14 according to the official amended calendar designed by the Bangla Academy. In West Bengal and Assam it is a public (state) holiday and is publicly celebrated on April 15 every year.

During reign of Akbar the celebration was started. The customer had to pay or clear all their dues on the last day of Choitro or last day of Bengali year. On the next day, or the first day of the New Year, landlords would welcome them with sweets. On this occasion there used to be fairs and other festivals. Gradually it becomes as part of domestic and social life, and turned into a day of celebration. The main event of the day was to open a halkhata or new book of accounts. In villages, towns and cities, traders and businessmen closed their old account books and opened new ones. They used to invite their customers to share sweets and renew their business relationship with them. This tradition is still practiced, especially by jewelers.

Pohela Boishakh is deeply rooted with in the heart of Bengali people. In the past it was mainly celebrated in rural areas but now it has become enormously big in the cities, especially in Dhaka and Chittagong. Usually on this day we wear new dresses, clean up our homes and get up from bed early in the morning. Peoples spend much of the day visiting relatives, friends, and neighbors. Special foods are prepared to entertain guests. Boishakhi fairs are arranged in many parts of the country. Various agricultural products, traditional handicrafts, toys, cosmetics, as well as various kinds of food and sweets are sold at these fairs. The fairs also provide entertainment, with singers and dancers staging jatra (traditional plays), pala gan, kobigan, jarigan, gambhira gan, gazir gan and alkap gan. They present folk songs as well as baul, marfati, murshidi and bhatiali songs. Narrative plays like Laila-Majnu, Yusuf-Zulekha and Radha-Krishna are staged. Among other attractions of these fairs are puppet shows and merry-go-rounds.

There are some festivals we have added recently and we do not follow some old festivals. Community people of Dhaka city arrange �Kite flying� and �bull racing� arranged by Munshiganj people, two very much enjoyable events. Other popular village games and sports were horse races, bullfights, cockfights, flying pigeons, and boat racing. We still two events very much. One is bali (wrestling) in Chittagong and gambhira in Rajshahi are still popular events.

Now city peoples enjoy this day especially the younger peoples more. They wake up early in the morning and gather under a large tree mainly under big banyan tree and observe the sunshine. The main event of the celebration used to happen under the large tree in Ramna Park and we called the place Romna Botmul. Artists, singers and other people present song, drama and the whole atmosphere turn into musical. People of all walks of life used to wear traditional dress. Girls wear white sari with red border and bindis on forehead. Bangles of various color are a good stuff and commonly use. Male people wear Pajama, panjabi and village people wear lungi and shirt. Various foods are made in this day. We usually start our breakfast with fried Ilish fish, rice soaked in water, green chilies and onion.

Television, radio and other news media publish special news and programs. A similar ceremony is also held at the Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka. Students and teachers of the institute take out a colourful procession and parade round the campus. Social and cultural organisations celebrate the day with cultural programmes. There is a historical importance of Pohela boishakh. Pakistan government had stopped all the poetries by Rabindra nath tagore and the then tagore�s supporter protested againt the declaration and at first opened their celebration from Chhayanat by singing the song of Rabindra nath. Before the liberation war it was celebrated as a Bengali cultural program of the than east Pakistan. But after the liberation war it becomes our national holiday.

Special days and festival- Part 1

1st February- International mother Language day

If any one asks me why I am discussing this type of event at first I would say, This �Bengali� language is our pride and the movement for language was a war winning day for Bengali nationalism. Yes, we are the only nation who sacrificed lives for language. 21st

February is called, �International mother Language day�. We called it �Ekushe February�, now we call it, �Omor Ekushe�. It is also known as Martyr�s day, Shohid dibosh. It reflects and is originated from the protests and sacrifice by the Bengali people to protect the Bengali language, their mother tongue During Pakistani regime, 1952. UNESCO proclaimed this day as International Mother Language day on 17 November, 1999. International Mother Language Day is observed yearly by UNESCO member states and at its headquarters to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.

Mohammed Ali Jinnah was the then Governor General of Pakistan. On 21 March 1948, he declared that Urdu would be the only official language for both West and East Pakistan. The people of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), whose main language is Bengali, started to protest against this. On 21 February 1952, students of capital city of Dhaka called for a provincial strike. The government invoked a limited curfew to prevent this and the protests were tamed down so as to not break the curfew. The Pakistani police fired on the students despite these peaceful protests and a number of students,common people and other protestors were killed, including Salam, Barkat, Rafique, Zabbar. The movement spread to the whole of East Pakistan and the whole province came to a standstill. Afterwards, the Government of Pakistan relented and gave Bangla equal status as a national language.

Actually it made the first steps towards our liberation war on 1971. It made the concept of democracy more strong. It also helped to nourished the patriotism of

Bangladesh

It inspired the Bangalees to live as a different and independent nation from Pakistan. We will never forget their sacrifice and through out the whole time we will remember them. To commemorate their sacrifice, Shahid Minar, a beautiful sculpture was made at the place of sacrifice. UNESCO was trying to make the way to promote the mother tongue and to establish Mother Language Day. They observe the history and found that though Bangladesh was a independence country but still people of Bangladesh celebrate the day as before and there is no history that any nation could sacrifice their life for Mother tongue. So, UNESCO decided to observe 21 February as International Mother Language Day. The UNESCO General Conference took a decision to that took effect on 17 November 1999 when it unanimously adopted a draft resolution submitted by Bangladesh and co-sponsored and supported by 28 other countries.UNESCO's declaration of 21st February as the International Mother Language Day has brought fresh glory and prestige to Bangladesh.

Main attraction of Bangladesh

Cox's Bazar

Cox's Bazar is a town, a fishing port and district headquarter in Bangladesh. It is an unbroken 125 km sandy sea beach with a gentle slope. It is known for its wide sandy beach which is claimed to be the world's longest natural sandy sea beach. Since the rise and fall of the tide here is not great, it is a good place for sea bathing. It is located 150 km south of Chittagong. Cox�s Bazar is also known by the name "Panowa", the literal translation of which means "yellow flower". Its other old name was "Palongkee".

The modern Cox's Bazar derives its name from Captain Cox (died 1799), an officer serving in British India. In the 18th century, an officer of British East India Company, Captain Hiram Cox was appointed as the Superintendent of Palongkee outpost after Warren Hastings became the Governor of Bengal. Cox's Bazar is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Bangladesh, it becomes a major international tourist destination, now-a-days.The main reason to visit Cox's Bazar is, of course, the beach, which is shark free. The beach of Cox's Bazar has a lot to offer, such as silvery sands, low cliffs, surfing waves, conch shells, colorful pagodas Buddhist temple, variety of tribes etc. The breath-taking beauty of sunset behind the waves of the sea is captivating. Attractive local cigars and handloom products of the Rakhain Tribal families are good buys.

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Sundarban

Sundarbann can be literally translated as "beautiful jungle" or "beautiful forest" in the Bengali language. The Sundarbans is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world.

Alternatively, it has been proposed that the name is a corruption of Samudraban or Chandra-bandhe (name of a primitive tribe). But the generally accepted view is the one associated with Sundari trees. Every nature oriented tourists will get an unequaled opportunity to find and unique environments and over whelming spectrum of unusual exotic wildlife and natural bounty that has no match in the world .The most prominent and fascinating Islands, which offers various attraction to touristsThe forest lies at the feet of the Ganges and is spread across areas of

Bangladesh

and West Bengal, India, forming the seaward fringe of the delta. The seasonally-flooded Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests lie inland from the mangrove forests. The forest covers 10,000 sq. km of which about 6,000 are in

Bangladesh

. It became inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997, but while the Bangladeshi and Indian portions constitute the same continuous ecotop. Additionally, the Sundarbans serves a crucial function as a protective flood barrier for the millions of inhabitants in and around Calcutta.

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Rangamati

Rangamati is a favourite holiday destination because of its beautiful landscape, scenic beauty, lake, colourful tribes (Chakma, Marma etc), its flora and fauna, tribal museum, hanging bridge, homespun textile products, ivory jewellery and the tribal men and women who fashion them. For tourists, the attractions of Rangamati are numerous . It's a travel destination of Bangladesh which is known as "Lake City�.

From Chittagong a 77 km road amidst green fields and winding hills leads to Rangamati; which is a wonderful repository of scenic splendors with flora and fauna of varied descriptions. The township is located on the western bank of the Kaptai Lake.. Tribal life, fishing, speed boat cruising, hiking, bathing or merely enjoying nature as it is. It is queen of Chittagong Hill Tracts. Here the hills covered with the forest stand steel with their shadows in the crystal blue water of the Kaptai Lake, largest man made lake ever. Hanging Bridge: Hanging Bridge(Jhulonto Bridge in Bengali)is the landmark icon of Rangamati. It's a popular tourist spot and a must go destination.Kaptai lake is a wonderful spot for boating and cruising. Parjatan and private tour operators offer a number of cruises by mechanical boats. One can go to various scenic spots in Shuvalong, Barkal, Longadu, Mainimukh and other areas by boat from Rangamati. The only Tribal Cultural Museum in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region was established at Rangamati town in 1978 and run by the Tribal Cultural Institute. It preserves valuable objects and articles of different tribes depicting their socio-economic, cultural and historical tradition. These include typical tribal dresses, ornaments, arms and ammunitions, coins, statues made of wood, bronze and other metals, musical instruments, ivory products, handicrafts, paintings on tribal life etc.

Open: Saturday- Thursday, 10.00 a.m.- 4.00 p.m. Closed: Friday & Public Holidys.

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St. Martin Island

It is the only coral island in BangladeshSt. St. Martin's Island is a small island in the northeast part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the tip of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula, and forming the southernmost part of Bangladesh. It is about 8 km west of the northwest coast of Myanmar at the mouth of the Naf River. The local name of the island is "Narical Gingira", also spelled "Narikel Janjina/Jinjera", translated from Bangla, meaning 'Coconut Island'. Martin's Island has become a popular tourist spot. Currently, three shipping liners run daily trips to the island, including Sea-Truck and Keary-Sindbad. Tourists can book their trip either from Chittagong or from Cox's Bazar.

At high tide the island is about 3 miles around, and pinched in the middle. The island exists only because of its coral base, so removal of that coral risks erosion of the beaches. St. Martins has lost roughly 25% of its coral reef in the past 7 years. The dumb bell shaped Saint Martin's island has an area of about 8sq. km. Main attraction St. Martin Island is the Chera Dip or Narikel Ginjira . It is little isolated from the main land but you can go by walking during low tide. The small island is full of coconut (Narikel) trees from which the name Narikel Ginjira came.

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Kuakata

It is a famous destination for people around Bangladesh and from overseas. The most important attraction of the beach is that one can see both sunrise and sunset from some of its locations. That perhaps makes Kualata one of the word's unique beaches. People of Kuakata were not friendly and business concerned and communication system was very bad. Road was very dangerous not now there is no problem.

Government and local people are now business concerned and amicable and also the communication system is now very good and comfortable. The long and wide sandy beach has gentile slopes into the sea. Bathing there is as pleasant as is walking or driving. Boat plying in the Bay of Bengal with colorful sails, fishing. Towering clifts, surfing waves everything here touches every visitors' heart. The kuakata beach is 30 km long and 6 km wide. On 13 September, 2007 government have announced red alert in Kuakata as caution for a possible Tsunami. One should visit the Sagor Kannya ( Daughter of the Sea), Kuakata and discover the lovely grace of Bangladesh.

National icons

The national memorial of Bangladesh

The national memorial of Bangladesh reminds of those who sacrificed their lives for the independence. It is a tourist spot. The monument is located in Savar, about 35 Kilometres north-west of the capital, Dhaka. Jatiyo Smriti Soudho (Bengali: Jatio Sriti Shoudho) or National Martyrs' Memorial is a monument in Bangladesh. It is the symbol of the valour and the sacrifice of the martyrs of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, which brought the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistani rule.

Plans for the monument were initiated right after the independence, in 1972. Following the site selection, road and land development, a nation-wide design competition was held in June, 1978. Following evaluation of the 57 submissions, Syed Mainul Hossain's design was chosen. The main structure and the artificial lake and other facilities were completed in 1982. The monument is composed of 7 isosceles triangular pyramid shaped structures, with the middle one being the tallest. The highest point of the monument is 150 feet. There is an artificial lake, and several mass graves in front of the main monument.

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The National Parliament (Sangsad Bhaban)

The National Parliament (Sangsad Bhaban) is the seat of the government. Situated at the center of Dhaka city, it is an architectural wonder. It was designed by the famous American architect Louis Kahn. Decision to construct the National Parliament Complex at Dhaka was originally taken in 1959. Louis I Kahn. one of the greatest architects of the time was initially selected for designing the complex. which would include the National Parliament Building. Hostels for members of parliament. ministers and secretaries. hospitality halls and communally buildings.

All linked by roads and walkways and surrounded by attractive gardens and lakes. The main characteristic of the building is its monumentally. The mass of concrete lined with marble strips, the outer wall punctuate by pure geometrical openings and the dominating circular and rectangular concrete masses impart a supreme instrumentality to the building quite suited to its noble function.It is one of the most majestic public buildings in Bangladesh. The National Parliament (Sangsad Bhaban) complex is located at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar of Dhaka city. The National Parliament Building is an architectural masterpiece for which the nation can be said to be justifiably proud.

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The Shaheed Minar (Bengali: Shohid Minar)

The Shaheed Minar (Bengali: Shohid Minar) is a national monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh, established to commemorate the martyrs of the Language Movement of 1952. On February 21, 1952, dozens of students and political activists were killed when the Pakistani police force opened fire on Bengali protesters who were demanding equal status to their native tongue, Bangla. The massacre occurred near Dhaka Medical College and Ramna Park in Dhaka. A makeshift monument was erected on February 23[1] by students of University of Dhaka and other educational institutions, but soon demolished on February 26[2] by the Pakistani police force.

The Language Movement gained momentum and after a long struggle, Bangla was given equal status as Urdu. To commemorate the martyrs, the Shaheed Minar was designed and built by Hamidur Rahman, a Bangladeshi sculptor. The monument stood until the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, when it was demolished completely during Operation Searchlight, a genocide carried out by the Pakistani Army resulting in an estimated 50,000 civilian deaths. After Bangladesh gained independence, it was rebuilt. Today, the Shaheed Minar is the centre of cultural activities in Dhaka. Every year, the Language Movement is remembered at the monument.

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The water lily (Shapla)

The Water Lily (shapla) is the national flower of Bangladesh. It is found almost in every water body in the country.

Beside it also remove hunger as it is also a food. common name for some members of the Nymphaeaceae, a family of freshwater perennial herbs found in most parts of the world and often characterized by large shield-shaped leaves and showy, fragrant blossoms of various colors.

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The Jackfruit [Kathal]

The Jackfruit [Kathal] is our national fruit. Thorny in outlook this fruit is big in size. The fruit is juicy and delicious. It is also widely consumed as curry. It is a species of tree in the mulberry family (Moraceae),

which is native to parts of South and Southeast Asia. It is well suited to tropical lowlands. Its fruit is the largest tree borne fruit in the worl^d, seldom less than about 25 cm (10 in) in diameter. Even a relatively thin tree, around 10 cm (4 in) diameter, can bear large fruit. The fruits can reach 36 kg (80 lbs) in weight and up to 90 cm (36 in) long and 50 cm (20 in) in diameter.

The jackfruit is something of an acquired taste, but
it is very popular in many parts of the world. The sweet yellow flesh
around the seeds is about 3�5 mm thick and has a taste similar to that
of pineapple, but milder and less juicy, though some have said its
taste is somewhat reminiscent of cantaloupe. The Mexican variety of the
Jackfruit tastes of fruit cocktail. Flavours of pineapple, strawberry,
and peach can be discerned. This variety bears smaller fruits than the
S.E. Asia type and the trees are likewise smaller.

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The magpie-robins (Doel)

The magpie-robins (Doel) are medium-sized insectivorous birds (some also eat berries and other fruit) in the genera Copsychus and Trichixos. They were formerly in the thrush family Turdidae, but are more often now treated as part of the Muscicapidae.Old World flycatcher. These are African and Asian garden and forest dwelling species.

The Doel ( magpie robin) is the national bird of Bangladesh. It is famous for its sweet look and melodious whistle and is found everywhere especially in rural Bangladesh.

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Royal Bengal Tiger

Royal Bengal Tiger Worldwide Known Royal Bengal Tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh. The Bengal tiger, or Royal Bengal tiger is a subspecies of tiger primarily found in India and Bangladesh. They are also found in parts of Nepal, Bhutan,Pakistan, Myanmar and southern Tibet. The Bengal tiger is the most numerous of the tiger sub-species. This majestic beast finds its home in mangrove forests of the Sundarbans in the southern part of the country. The Bengal subspecies P. tigris tigris is the national animal of Bangladesh, while at the species level, the tiger Panthera tigris is the national animal of India.According to lateset Pug mark census, 400 Bengal tigers are counted to live in Bangladesh.Most are in Sundarbans while a few could be found in easter hilly paty of the country. The Sundarbans tiger project is a Bangladesh Forest Department initiative that effectively started its field activities in February 2005.

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BangabandhuBridge

A bridge on the river Jamuna was a long cherished desire of Bangalees. Ultimately the dream came true. Two detached parts of Bangladesh are now connected by Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge. The biggest of its kind, this Bridge is one of our greatest achievements.

Bangabandhu Bridge, also called the Jamuna Multi-purpose Bridge (Bengali: ????? ??????? ???? Jomuna Bohumukhi Shetu), is a bridge opened in Bangladesh in June 1998 It connects Bhuapur on the Jamuna River's east bank to Sirajganj on its west bank.

It is the eleventh longest bridge in the worl and the second longest in South Asia (after Mahatma Gandhi Setu). It is amongst the longest bridges in the world. It was constructed over the Jamuna River, mightiest of the three major rivers of Bangladesh, and fifth largest in the world in terms of volumetric discharge.

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Hilsha Ilisha

There is a proverb that �Vat-e Mas-e Bangali� (Bangladeshis are fond of rice and fish). Hilsha fish is national fish of Bangladesh. It is very delicious and nutritious. People in our country like this fish very much. We get sufficient protein from Hilsha fish. Not only have these, Hilsha fishes also contribute 1% in our GDP. Our national economy is being developed by exporting Hilsha Fish. In the world about 60% Hilsha fishes are found in Bangladesh. In Gujarat it is known as either Modenn or Palva.

It is an economically important tropical fish. This fish exists and is caught in Narmada and Padma river deltas. The fish in coastal area of Gujarat is known as Modenn if it is female and palva if it is young male. Like Bengal or Sindh this fish is not well known in Gujarat because fish eaters in Gujarat are Mostly Muslims and Hindu fisherman of the coastal areas. The Hilsa fish is full of tiny bones which require trained eaters/hands to handle. Pohela Boishakh (1st Day of Bengali Year) is celebrated by eating fried Hilsha fish with Panta Rice. New or rich guests are entertained by the Hilsha fish.

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Baitul Mukarram

Follower of the Islamic faith consider a mosque to be the primary place of worship where Muslims gather together for prayer. Mosques reflect traditional Islamic architecture and are recognized world-wide for their importance to the Muslim community. In addition to the importance mosques have with regard to worship and prayer, they also serve as places to learn about Islam and to meet fellow believers. With this in mind, it is clear that Baitul Mukarram, being the national mosque of Bangladesh, is of significant importance to Muslims in the area.

The national mosque of

Bangladesh

, Baitul Mukarram, is situated in the heart of the busy city of Dhaka, the capital of

Bangladesh

. Dhaka is the largest city in

Bangladesh

. The mosque has a capacity of 30,000, giving it the respectable position of being the 10th biggest mosque in the world. However the mosque is constantly getting overcrowded. This especially occurs during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which has resulted in the Bangladeshi government having to add extensions to the mosque, thus increasing the capacity to at least 40,000.

Liberation war Heroes- Bir sreshtho

Nur Mohammad Sheikh

Nur Mohammad Sheikh was a Lance Nayek in East Pakistan Rifles during the Liberation War. He was born on 26 February 1936 at village Maheskhali in Narail district. He became an orphan in childhood and had to sell his paternal landed property for his livelihood. He then joined the local Ansar Force.

He joined the then East Pakistan Rifles on 14th March, 1959. On completion of training he was posted at Dinajpur sector. He was transferred to Jessore sector headquarters in August 1970.Nur Mohammad joined the Liberation War in March 1971 while on leave at his village home. During the Liberation War he fought in Sector 8 in Jessore. He was then in charge of a regular petrol force. He was killed in an engagement with the Pakistani Army with fire for covering the extrication of fellow soldiers at Goalhati in Jessore district on 5th September, 1971. Nur Mohammad heroically died saving his compatriots and inflicting heavy casualties on his enemy.He was honoured with the highest state insignia of 'Bir Sreshtha'.

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Mohammad Ruhul Amin

Mohammad Ruhul Amin was an engineering officer in the Bangladesh Navy during the Liberation War. He was born on 1934 at village Bagh-chapra under Begumganj thana of Feni district. Ruhul Amin had his early education in Bagh-chapra Primary School and Amishpara High School.

He joined the Pakistan navy in 1953 as junior mechanical engineer, and was elevated to the post of artificer in 1965. While working at the PNS Bakhtiar naval post at Chittagong Ruhul Amin left the post in April 1971 to join the liberation war.

He joined the newly formed Bangladesh Navy in September, and was placed as the Chief Artificer at the gunboat styled 'Palas'. Beer Shreshtha Shaheed Ruhul Amin was not a commissioned officer and he was never commissioned in Pakistan Navy.

Ruhul Amin was burnt to death by a shell thrown from Indian Aircraft mistakenly into the engine room of the gunboat while attempting to capture the Pak naval post and PNS Titumir at Mangla port on 10 December. He tried to save his ship valiently but ultimately could not do so and lost his life.

In recognition of his chivalry and sacrifice in the Liberation War, Ruhul Amin was awarded the title of 'Bir Sreshtha', the highest honour of the state bestowed upon the freedom fighters.

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Mahiuddin Jahangir

Mahiuddin Jahangir was a Captain in the Bangladesh Army during the Liberation War. He was born at village Rahimganj in Babuganj upazila of Barisal district in 1948. He passed Matriculation examination in 1964, I Sc in 1966, and joined Pakistan Military Academy as a cadet in 1967. He obtained commissioned rank in 1968.
Mahiuddin Jahangir was posted in the 173 Engineer Battalion in West Pakistan during the War of Liberation. With an avowed object of joining the War Mahiuddin along with three of his fellow officers managed to escape from his station on 3rd July, and passing through the inaccessible hilly tracts reached the camp of the freedom fighters at Mehdipur in Maldah district of West Bengal.

Jahangir had displayed extraordinary skill and valour in some of the successful operations against the Pakistan occupation army, and was consequently placed in charge of the contingent of the freedom fighters deputed to capture Nawabganj in Rajshahi. Captain Mahiuddin along with Lieutenant Qayyum, Lieutenant Awwal and nearly fifty freedom fighters took position at Bargharia at the west of Nawabganj townon 10th December, 1971. At the dawn of 14th December, they crossed the Mahananda through Rehaichar on some country boats and surprised some trenches of the enemy. In a fiercely contested battle an enemy bullet struck Mahiuddin on his forehead and he succumbed to death. Undaunted the freedom fighters renewed their attacks and compelled the Pak-army to take to their heels. Mahiuddin was laid to rest at the premises of the chhota sona maosque.

He was awarded the highest recognition of bravery in the Bangladesh Army, 'Bir Sreshtha'.

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Mostafa Kamal

Mostafa Kamal was a Sepoy in Bangladesh Army during the Liberation War. He was born on 16 December 1947 in Hajipur village of Daulatikhan upazilla under Bhola district. His father was retired Havilder Habibur Rahman.

He joined the East Bengal Regiment as a soldier on 16 December 1967, and on completion of training he had his posting at the Fourth East Bengal Regiment in Comilla.

In March 1971, he was transferred to the headquarters of the Regiment at Brahmanbaria whence he joined the War of Liberation.

During the War he had the status of a Lance Nayek, and was posted at village Daruin in Akhaura as a section commander.

The Pak-army launched an attack on the second platoon of the Fourth East Bengal Regiment at village Daruin on 17 April. In the encounter that followed Mostafa Kamal was killed after a heroic resistance. He lies buried at village Daruin.

He was awarded the title of 'Bir Sreshtha' by the Government of Bangladesh for his sacrifice in Liberation War.

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Bir Sreshtha Hamidur Rahman

Bir Sreshtha Hamidur Rahman was born in 1945 at village Dumuria in Chapra thana of the district of 24 Parganas in West Bengal. After the partition of India at 1947 his family migrated to East Bengal and was permanently settled at Gharoda under Khalispur in Khulna district. He had his primary education at Khalispur Primary School and subsequently at a local night school.

He joined East Bengal Regiment on 2 February 1971 and was posted at EBR centre in Chittagong cantonment. On the face of the attack of Pakistan army on 25 March Hamidur Rahman left the cantonment for his village home, and then joined the liberation force at Dhalai on the south-eastern border of Sreemangal thana in Sylhet district.For its strategic importance the freedom fighters took a bid for capturing the Dhalai border outpost of the Pak-army. The 'C' Company of the First East Bengal Regiment was entrusted with the task with which Hamidur Rahman was enrolled. On the preceding night of 28 October, 1971 three platoons of freedom fighters silently advanced towards the outpost. The platoons while approaching near to the enemy post and were on the verge of attempting a surprise, a sudden explosion of a mine alarmed the enemies who started indiscriminate firing. A battle continued for hours; but the advance of the freedom fighters was seriously obstructed by enemy firing with LMG from south-west direction. This Light Machine Gun was to be neutralized and the onerous responsibility of doing so was reposed on Sepoy Hamidur Rahman. Instantly he crawled very close to the Light Machine Gun post undetected by the enemy. The hard ground under his chest and the volume of fire on all directions from either side could not for a moment discourage this illustrious son of the soil from fulfilling the assigned task. Not caring for life, determined Sepoy Hamidur Rahman jumped into the enemy Light Machine Gun post and engaged in hand to hand fight with the two crews and at one stage neutralized the gun at the cost of his life. Thus Dholai Border Outpost was captured. Sepoy Hamidur Rahman never knew that it was because of his supreme sacrifice that the mission was achieved.

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Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman

Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman was born in dhaka on 29 November 1941. He received his primary education at Dhaka Collegiate School. Next he got himself admitted into Pakistan Air Force Public School at Sargoda in West Pakistan. After completing his twelfth class course there he entered Pakistan Air Force Academy.

He was commissioned in June 1963 and was posted at Risalpur, West Pakistan. He successfully completed the Jet Conversion Course in Karachi before he was appointed a Jet Pilot in Peshawar.

During the Liberation War he made a secret plan of hijacking an aircraft. His aim was to join the liberation forces with the hijacked plane. On the morning of 20 August,1971 Pilot Officer Minhaz Rashid was scheduled to fly in a T-33 aircraft from Masrur Airbase in Karachi with Matiur Rahman as his trainer. He attempted to pilot a T-33 trainer to India in order to defect from the Pakistan Air Force and join the liberation movement of Bangladesh. The T-33 aircraft was code-named 'Bluebird'. However, Matiur Rahman could not take the plane out of Pakistani territory, as reportedly, the other pilot Rashid Minhas in the plane forced it to crash. The plane crashed in Thatta, a place near the Indian border. His body, which was found near the crash site was reportedly buried at the graveyard of fourth class employees at Masroor Air Base, Pakistan.
Matiur Rahman was awarded the highest state title of honour 'Bir Sreshtha' in recognition of his patriotism and sacrifice. Matiur's widow, Milly, and his two infant daughters were imprisoned for a month by Pakistan Air Force, and were released on September 29, 1971.

After over 30 years of negotiations, his body was finally returned to Bangladesh for a ceremonial and highly symbolic reburial in 2006. His original burial in a nondescript grave in Pakistan had been a sore point between Bangladesh and Pakistan for decades.

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Munshi Abdur Rauf

Abdur Rauf was a Lance Nayek in East Pakistan Rifles during the Liberation War. He was born in May 1943 at village Salamatpur in Boalkhali upazila of Faridpur district.

He lost his father while an infant. Poverty compelled him to seek for a job for the maintenance of his family.

In 8th May, 1963 Rauf was enrolled with the East Pakistan Rifles as a Lance Nayek. He had been serving in the East Pakistan Rifles in Chittagong till March 1971.

With the beginning of the Liberation War he made himself associated with the Eighth East Bengal Regiment. He embraced martyrdom in a battle fought against the Pakistan army at Kurighat in Chittagong Hill Tracts on 7 April 1971.

He was honoured with the highest state insignia of 'Bir Sreshtha' in recognition of his valour and sacrifice in the War of Liberation.

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