Emerging out of Insurmountable Darkness
Are we intrinsically aware of the feeling of being liberated? To possess the freedom, exercise our rights and uphold our convictions without being restrained by social constraints? These questions often hovered in my mind but I could never imagine that these queries would be answered during the July Revolution of 2024. The youth of the nation filled every street to the brim in order to demand for the reformation of the quota system. At the same time, social media became the instrument to escalate their thoughts and unleash all the discrepancies that have always been swept under the rug of corruption and autocracy. In this situation, I became not only a mere spectator but a catalyst of hope, resilience and democratic rights.
Since my childhood, I would always read about the ghastly events that entailed during our 1971 Liberation War. Flipping through the pages of history books not only became a source of inspiration but intense emotional turbulence when I read about the violence inflicted on innocent Bangladeshis. In the midst of the July Revolution, I was struck with the realization that I had actually embarked on a time machine which allowed me to perceive political crises and national uprising, propelling me through dimensions of time where conflict became inevitable. It baffles me to think that for such a long time I have been socially pushed to comply with the autocratic regime. Apart from that, I lost the power to raise my voice because the outcome of being democratically upright was proportional to losing everything and everyone I loved. To question the incumbent meant that my existence would automatically result in enforced disappearance.
After witnessing the July Revolution of 2024, experiencing chemically caustic tears dripping from my eyes because of tear gas, seeing my fellow classmates and citizens dying and suffering from rubber bullet wounds, I felt that I could no longer remain a silent observer as I had been all these years. The death of fellow students, Mir Mugdho and Abu Sayeed amongst other students, sparked a nationwide emotional outrage which could no longer be extinguished. Maybe I was a speck of dust compared to the repressive powers, but collectively we students were a force to be reckoned with. An unstoppable motion that could not be subdued by the autocrats. Whether we were caged within the shackles of tangible or intangible bars of oppression, this was the time to retaliate.
A general rule of thumb is that the ebb and flow of time is inescapable. All these waves and ripples carry something significant socially, politically, morally and ethically. Even though I have resumed doing my classes, I carry the soul of every student and citizen who has been martyred during the July Revolution. They could not outlive the dreams they had envisioned but I take the responsibility to fulfill their unaccomplished dreams and aspirations. Mugdho, Abu Sayeed, Farhan Faiyaaz, Yamin and several others, I promise that I will not let your dreams fade away. I will proudly hoist the flag of this new independent Bangladesh that you all have created.
