What does Bijoy Dibosh mean to you?

Abdullah Saif. (Photo via Maria Islam)

Abdulla Saif: It’s important as many people lost their lives so they can live freely. I wasn’t part of that movement and time, but it’s a part of my parents’ history.

Brishty Khan: Victory Day itself holds both a lot of pain and possibility for my family. On December 14th, 1971, two days before Pakistan and India would sign documents declaring Bangladesh an independent country, intellectuals were rounded up by the Pakistani army and massacred in Dhaka. One of our relatives was taken from his home and killed. So yes, while the Victory Day on December 16th is a celebration in my family, it is also a remembrance of sacrifice.

Ivana Ahmed: We lost two of my mamas (maternal uncle) during the war. One was shot at the gate of their home by a Pakistani soldier. He was not politically active, but at the time the Pakistani Army would shoot any young Bengali men in their path. My other uncle was captured and taken to Pakistan. He ended up marrying in Pakistan and living there. My family in Bangladesh received letters from him over the years but no one ever saw him again.

Muniba Hassan: My family was deeply affected by the war. My maternal grandfather was a civil rights lawyer/activist; he and my maternal uncle, who was a teenager in the revolution, were both captured by the Pakistani army and tortured for months. Eventually, my young uncle was killed in front of my grandfather (who was later released from the concentration camp by the Indian army).

Saadman Reza. (Photo via Maria Islam)

Saadman Reza: Our independence legitimizes my cultural identity. I feel more strongly tied to the identity of a “Bangladeshi” because it is both ethnic, linguistic, and cultural. As a kid, I remember hearing [about] my grandfather leaving Bangladesh to go near the Indian border where he opened a mukti bahini (the resistance movement) camp. My father was too young to participate, but he was surrounded by the efforts and remembers the war. My maternal grandfather was a teacher who went into hiding to avoid persecution by the Pakistani military under Operation Searchlight [targeting] the intelligentsia of Bangladesh.

Shahnaz Chowdhury: My father and his contemporaries were among a generation of people who loved their country and their people sincerely. Our family could have easily chosen to stay in the United States once we were here, but my father believed that his education and his endeavors must come to the service of his desh (country). As soon as news broke that amader desh shadhin (our country is now liberated), he set his intention to finish his studies as soon as possible and return home. He wanted to put his privilege to work back in his motherland, and he took what he learned about civil engineering here in the U.S. back to Bangladesh to help build roads and bridges. This is why he is still in Bangladesh and we have such a hard time convincing him to come live with us in Texas.

Maria Islam and Shahnaz Chowdhury. By Syed Alam

My hope is the same for all Bangladeshi Americans. We all have the opportunity to learn and benefit from the best institutions in the world here in the U.S. I pray that [your generation] will all apply your intellect and talent to help Bangladesh, because if we do not take care of our own country, no one else will. If we do not show love for our country through our labor, no one else will. This is the prayer of a mother.

Sayeeda Jamilah: My immediate and extended family have an emotional and personal connection to the war. One of my uncles was a freedom fighter; my maternal grandfather was an army officer during the war. My Nana and Nanu (maternal grandfather and grandmother) and their children were stopped by the Pakistani army while fleeing to the countryside from Dhaka, where my grandfather barely escaped being killed. My Dada (paternal grandfather) sheltered around 300 Hindus from the Pakistani army inside his estate during the war. My father-in-law, while not a freedom fighter, was intensely involved in Bangladeshi politics in his youth and had met and was acquainted with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. For me, Bijoy Dibosh is being able to cherish and preserve the stories passed down from the older members of my family.

This article was updated owing to a correction in Ivana Ahmed’s account.