Liberation War | A Rickshaw Puller | Foreign Travel | Paragraph Group-1

1. Liberation War

The people of Bangladesh discovered their identity through the Language Movement in 1952. The struggle to establish their identity and national spirit began soon after 1947 when they realized that under Pakistan created on the two-nation theory they were little scope for the distance culture of Bangles to flourish.

The refusal of the central government to grant status to the Bangla language became the focal point of struggle because the language was the most important vehicle of the cultural expression of the people of this land.

The contradiction of the two Pakistans, the racial oppression and the exploitation of the West over the East were gradually unveiled. The struggle for the consciousness of identity and cultural freedom which began with the advent of the student movements of the '60s gained momentum in the mass movement of 1969. Though it brought about the fall of a mighty military ruler like Ayub Khan, the ultimate goal was not achieved. After this, came the election of 1970 with an absolute victory of Sheikh Mujibur Rahaman. In the elections of December 7, 1970, the Awami League won 160 out of 162 seats in East Pakistan, all but two, and would have had a clear majority in the new assembly had it been convened. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became the majority party leader of the Pakistan National Assembly. The military rules of Pakistan refused to allow the Awami League to form a government. Major General Ziaur Rahman on behalf of Mujib declared independence. A full-scale movement of non-cooperation with the military government began on the 26th of March, 1971 which is celebrated as Independence Day every year. Thus Bangladesh plunged into a civil war.

The Pakistan Army began their genocide by attacking the innocentBangalees of Dhaka city. The dwellers of Dhaka city never confronted such intolerable days. The Pakistani army massacred 35,000 Bengali intellectuals and unleashed a brutal war against the Bangalees of East Pakistan to prevent their secession. the dream encircled flag During the nine-month struggle which ensued an estimated three million Bengalis died and ten million refugees fled into India Sheikh Mujib was imprisoned in West Pakistan. A Bangladesh Government in exile was established. The actual military campaign took place in December and lasted only ten days. The Indian Army launched a massive offensive against the Pakistani forces to support the Bangladesh movement. On December 16, 1971, the Pakistan army surrendered.

2. A Rickshaw Puller

A rickshaw puller is a poor man. He toils hard for the whole day, from morning till late at night. His life is hard. He earns his livelihood by driving a rickshaw. He pulls the rickshaw in the scorching sun, at chill winter nights and even in heavy rains. He is a useful member of our society. His service is in equal demand in cities, towns, villages, and metros. It is the rickshaw puller who takes us to those places where other means of transportation are not accessible. He belongs to the poor class of our society and serves humanity in extreme weather conditions also. He is ready to give his service all the time. A rickshaw puller leads a very hard life. He earns little to meet two square meals a day for his family. He never cares for his health and pulls his rickshaw for maximum hours in a day. Apart from carrying persons or persons, he carries goods like vegetables, tea and other things in the form of packed or unpacked bundles.

Nowadays some rickshaw pullers are seen engaged in carrying school children. It gives them a permanent income. And what is more, they get a change in their hard life in the company of small children. In this advanced age, when there are various transport facilities, rickshaw pulling is still in existence on a mass level. The pulling of human beings by a man is a curse upon society. Hence, rickshaw pullers must be given full support from the Government in the form of loans so that they may purchase auto-rickshaw or may start some other business thus, they will be able to earn more money by comparatively less manual labor. It will also make their family life a little bit more comfortable. They will be able to educate their children to make them worthy citizens of the country.

We must feel the rickshaw puller's misery and be a little more lenient towards him. If we don’t pay him more than the real wage, it's alright. But we should never underestimate his labor.

3. Foreign Travel

Traveling is something everyone would like to experience at a very young age. We are introduced to other countries first by watching television programs held to inform us of different cultures, languages, food, and sights other places have. Visiting countries other than your own is extremely interesting. Some travel on business, others to go on holiday. Students also travel to study, to take a post-graduate course at a well-known University. Others travel to educate themselves, to learn more about the country they are visiting, places of interest, like art and history museums, to experience their culture. Foreign travel contributes to a person’s education. People acquire information and increase their knowledge. They also learn a new language. If they do not travel they become insular. It is important to savor other nation’s cultures, experience firsthand the way they live, cook and do things in everyday life. This fosters understanding and bridges the gap between nations. Foreign traveling can be made using any means of transport. But a journey by plane is the most fascinating of them. Everybody does not have the fortune to enjoy an airplane journey. I was one of the fortunate few. My first flight in the air was a very exciting experience in my life. I was traveling from Dhaka to Singapore by air. Entering the Shahjalal International Airport we had check-in using our passport. We entered the airplane in the morning. It was like getting into a car or bus but the noise of the machine-made us feel that it was different. Soon the plane took off and rose in the air higher and higher. The buzzing sound which had fascinated me continued. When I looked down, things looked tiny. The plane rushed fast through the air without a bump or a jolt when all of the sudden bad weather overtook us. The plane began to swing from side to side and the pilot was a little troubled in controlling it, but I felt happy like a bird swinging in the air. Due to the weather, some of the passengers felt sick. Some slept in their seats but I sat still. I took great pleasure in looking at the scenery of the different places as we passed over. It was a lovely sight.  It seemed to be a big dash through the air. Our plane finally touched down at Changi Airport, from where we drove off to a hotel in the heart of Singapore. The total flight had taken us nearly four hours. It was a very interesting and exciting journey indeed.