Work hard to save people in distress

Centenarian Binod Bihari calls upon youths
Binod Bihari Chowdhury, the anti-British movement veteran who stepped on the 100th year of his life yesterday, called upon the young generation to become brave hearted and work for the distressed countrymen overcoming cowardice, weakness and selfishness.
“Courage is divine while cowardice and weakness are nothing but sin,” he said replying to a grand reception accorded to him yesterday here at the Master Da Surya Sen Mancha at JM Sen Hall.
With the reception, concluded the three-day long celebration marking the 100th birth anniversary of the revolutionary. Biplobi Binod Bihari Janmoshatobarsha Udjapon Parishad organised the programme.
The veteran revolutionary expressed his wish to live more to work for the oppressed masses of the country.
“We have achieved geographical freedom but millions of homeless people still spend days and nights on the streets and suffer from hunger. We did not yearn for this sort of freedom,” said the lone alive hero of the historic Jalalabad Pahar (hill) War that kept Chittagong free for four days from the British colonial rule.
Nobel laureate Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus was the chief guest at the reception with former vice chancellor of Chittagong University Dr Alamgir Md Sirajuddin in the chair.
Binod Bihari said he is not the actual person to get such love and great honour rather all this should go to his mentor and leader Master Da Surya Sen who inspired many youths for dedicating their lives for the country’s freedom.
Dr Yunus said, “We feel pride to get such a strong personality still alive. He [Binod Bihari] in his teenage dared to occupy the British armoury in Chittagong and to fight against the armed forces.”
“It was beyond the imagination of many adult people to do such impossible act during the colonial rule, that a few teenaged and young people did,” he said.
Historian and former pro-VC of Kolkata University Bharati Roy on the occasion wished that the legendary person lived for many more years fighting against injustice.
Former Chief Adviser and Justice Habibur Rahman said Binod Bihari has crossed 100 years not only leading a simple life but also carrying the flag of idealism.
The speakers urged the government to observe the birth anniversary of the role model in state honour.

Courtesy of The Daily Star