A discussion session on ‘Bangabandhu and the historic 7th March’ was held on March 11th, 2024, Monday at 11:00 am at Tejgaon main campus of Royal University of Dhaka.

Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) chairperson, National Historian Prof. Dr. Syed Anwar Hossain spoke as the main speaker in the meeting. Acting Vice-Chancellor of Sheikh Hasina University of Science and Technology Prof. Dr. Prafulla Chandra Sarkar, former professor of Political Science Department of Dhaka University gave a speech as a guest speaker. Shaukat Ara Hossain and newly appointed registrar of Royal University Brigadier General (Retd.) Mushfiqur Rahman was there as guest speaker.

Professor Dr. Syed Anwar Hossain said, the speech of March 7th is the shortest yet the best speech of Bangabandhu’s life. Basically, through this speech, he turned from a politician to a statesman. It is really unimaginable, with a short speech of only 18 minutes, Bangabandhu was able to wake up the entire Bengali nation with the strong conviction of independence. That was the magic of Bangabandhu’s leadership. He also said, Bangabandhu was a visionary leader. He knew that the Pakistani army under the orders of Yahya Khan was preparing to attack Bangabandhu’s public meeting and was trying to identify him internationally as a separatist leader. So Bangabandhu was very careful in his speech. He tactfully declared independence, which prevented the Pakistani military from prosecuting Bangabandhu as a separatist.

Dr. Mesbah Kamal, Vice-Chancellor of Royal University of Dhaka, presided over the meeting, said that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman spoke of two types of liberation. One is total emancipation and is political emancipation. Analyzing Bangabandhu’s 7th March speech, we can see that Bangabandhu’s freedom struggle was partial and people’s struggle for liberation was eternal. Bangabandhu in his speech first mentions the struggle for liberation and later talks about the struggle for freedom.

Professor Dr. Prafulla Chandra Sarkar said, the entire Bengali nation was united in the belief of freedom under the instructions of Bangabandhu.

Professor Dr. Shawkat Ara Hossain said 80 percent of freedom fighters were farmers in the freedom struggle. Independence will not be meaningful unless it ensures economic emancipation and due respect for these hardworking peasant labor brothers.

Brigadier General Mushfiqur Rahman said, almost all of the world’s greatest historical speeches were written. But Bangabandhu’s 7th March speech is unwritten.

Prizes were distributed among the winners of the poetry recitation and quiz competition at the end of the discussion.

The meeting was moderated by the Dean of Faculty of Arts and Social Science of Royal University of Dhaka Dipu Siddiqui and Coordinator of English Department Malbika Majumdar. At the end of the discussion The quiz competition was conducted by Jaharat Ara, Head of English Department. Poetry recitation was held at the end of the program. English department teachers Yuki Barua and Tasmeena Crorie participated in the recital.