<p style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Bangabandhu's landmark March 7 speech was an oath of the Bangalee nation for the Liberation War as the entire nation took oath on that day and became united to face the Pakistani occupational forces after listening the speech, said academics.</b><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"Bangabandhu's speech was not only a historic speech rather it was an oath of <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Bangalee nation," noted academician and former Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Dhaka </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">University (DU) Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique said while talking to BSS on </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">the eve of the historic March 7. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">"As Bangalees took oath on that day, they had jumped into the Liberation War </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">immediately after the proclamation of independence by Bangabandhu in the </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">early hours of March 26," he added.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">In his speech, Bangabandhu said: "I call upon you to turn every home into </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">fortresses, confront the enemy with whatever you have and close all roads for </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">life even if I am not around to give orders," Prof Arefin mentioned.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">He said though Bangabandhu was giving speech at the then Race Course Maidan, <span style="font-size: 1rem;">the seven and half crore people was listening it and they took oath on that </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">day for the Liberation War. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Prof Arefin, also acting president of Bangabandhu Parishad, said March 7 </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">speech was not only a speech rather it was an epic poem that is why the </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">international Newsweek magazine termed Bangabandhu as a 'Poet of Politics' in </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">the cover story of its April 5, 1971 issue. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"Bangabandhu's speech was Bangalee's promise for achieving independence, <span style="font-size: 1rem;">proclamation of independence and Liberation War and seven and half crore </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Bangalee's oath," he said.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">"When Bangabandhu was sent to Pakistani jail in 1971 during the Liberation </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">War, he led the nation through this March 7 speech," he said, adding that in </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">absence of Bangabandhu, his speech was his presence to us.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"When the speech was aired on Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra and other radio <span style="font-size: 1rem;">stations including Akash Vani, it touched the heart of every people who </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">listened," he said.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">DU VC Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman said Bangabandhu's historic March 7 speech <span style="font-size: 1rem;">managed to make the whole nation united and prepare them for the nation's </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">most anticipated freedom as it contains all the instructions and guidelines </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">for all the components, needed for a collective effort for a nation's fight </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">for freedom.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">With a single speech, the great man managed to bring the whole nation under <span style="font-size: 1rem;">one umbrella and become a de facto sovereign, winning everyone's heart </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">regardless of their caste, creed, sex and religions.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">It was possible because each individual and community's concern and interest <span style="font-size: 1rem;">no matter what class and community they belong to, was known to Bangabandhu </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">very well and thus, the great man managed to address the concern of each </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">class and community equally along with giving directives for the nation's </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">freedom, Akhtaruzzaman added.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The significance of the speech didn't end up in achieving victory in the </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Liberation War rather the speech has been inspiring all the freedom-loving </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">and democratic people around the world, the VC said, adding: "The relevance </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">and significance of the speech will be similarly effective in the days to </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">come."</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">DU Pro-VC (Administration) Prof Dr. Muhammad Samad said Bangabandhu's <span style="font-size: 1rem;">daughter Sheikh Hasina started working on Bangabandhu's March 7 speech to </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">present it to the new generation after returning home in 1981.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Under her initiative, Bangabandhu Memorial Trust has been arranging seminar <span style="font-size: 1rem;">on the speech since 2004 which played an important role to spread it to the </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">people and the new generation, he said.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">At the initiative of Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh Permanent Mission to UNESCO <span style="font-size: 1rem;">and Bangladesh Embassy in Paris published the book titled: "The Historic 7th </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">March Speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: A World Documentary </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Heritage" in UN's six official languages Arabic, Chinese, English, French, </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Russian and Spanish, Prof Samad mentioned.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">He said Bangabandhu's March 7, 1971 speech has also been recognised as one of <span style="font-size: 1rem;">the world famous speeches in the book entitled: "We Shall Fight on the </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Beaches: The Speeches That Inspired History", by Jacob F Field, a noted </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">historian.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Prof Arefin, also chairman of the board of directors of Bangladesh Sangbad <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Sangstha (BSS), said: "I believe, it's must to present the speech before the </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">new generation again and again. This speech should be included in textbooks </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">and this should be taught in classrooms."</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">He said if that could be done, Bangabandhu's philosophy and personality </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">could be disseminated before the youth generations after generations through </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">this speech.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The speech itself is a great textbook and there is the necessity to teach <span style="font-size: 1rem;">this textbook to youths, he continued.</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The UNESCO has realised this thing and that is why it has included the </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">speech in the Memory of the World International Register, Prof Arefin said, </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">adding: "The significance of the speech now in 2023 is as important and </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">relevant as it was in 1971 and even it will be the same on March 7 in 2050, </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">when Bangalees will observe the day."</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"If we make psychological analysis of the speech, we find the extempore <span style="font-size: 1rem;">speech reflected words from his hearts in a very simple way," he said.</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">So, it could be called a conversation not a speech as Bangabandhu made the </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">address before the nation in a conversational style as if he was talking with </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">the people. BSS</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</p>