Her father’s voice: a gift for Sheikh Hasina

Mujibur Rahman in 1971.

The Netaji Research Bureau on Saturday gifted a rare audio clip of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to his daughter and Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, when she visited Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s ancestral house on Elgin Road here.

Sugata Bose, Netaji’s grand nephew, played the audio segment running to a couple of minutes, in which Mujibur Rahman, Father of the Nation of Bangladesh, is heard saying that Netaji’s struggle was like a “guiding light” to the Muktiyudhya, the 1971 Bangladesh war of liberation. “This was sent to the Netaji Research Bureau on January 23, 1972, and we have carefully preserved it,” Mr. Bose told The Hindu.

Sent on spool

The historian explained, “My father [Sisir Kumar Bose] met Bangabadhu [Mujibur Rahman] in Dhaka on January 17, 1972. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was to be present in Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary celebrations on January 23, 1972.” Since he could not come to the Netaji Research Bureau, he sent the audio recording on a spool through a special envoy Nilima Ibrahim, a well-known Bangladeshi social activist.

“Since the audio was on spool, many are not aware of its existence. The message of the tape where Bangabandhu credits Netaji as a guiding light is also significant. It was digitised a few months ago and I was surprised to see the clarity of the audio,” Mr. Bose said.

Sheikh Hasina said that she was delighted to hear the “candle of struggle lit by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose proved to be an inspiration for the Muktiyudhya”.

Ms. Hasina visited the museum housed at the Netaji Research Institute, and the room where Netaji lived. She also saw archival footage the museum has in its collection, including a clipping in which Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji are present in the same frame, and a rendition of the Bangladesh national anthem Amar Sonar Bangla by Rabindranath Tagore, which the legendary poet penned.

Ms. Hasina was also presented a handwritten Amar Sonar Bangla , penned by Netaji in a Mandalay prison, etched on silk.

“Netaji will always be remembered in the hearts of Bengalis around the world,” Ms. Hasina said.