Youths are harbingers of change making

After the July uprising, Bangladesh is
standing at a new crossroad in history. The opportunity to build a
democratic, independent and discrimination free Bangladesh has once
again come before the people.

The possibilities of a new Bangladesh created in 2024 at the cost of
blood of 1500 martyrs and countless severe injured students and
people, which was an almost impossible even a few days before August
5.

Many people thought that the fascist regime that was hanging over us
like the ghost of Sindabad was invincible and insurmountable.

Especially after the dummy elections of January 7, many people were
gradually losing hope. They thought that this was the future of fascist
Bangladesh, but, another destiny had been secretly written on the
history. The movement to build a discrimination-free Bangladesh had
awakened in educational institutions.

Of course, student awakening and mass uprisings led by students are
nothing new in the history of Bangladesh. Rather, it is as if this is the
rule. Whenever the country plunged into a deep crisis, when all hope is
lost, then the students come forward. The great masses call them out on
the path.

This is perhaps a special feature of our agriculture-based society.

It is a special mindset.  At the center of this mindset is a hopeful vision
for the future generation. For many years, the peasant community has
had this myth that their college or university student will take on the
responsibility of the family in the future and lead the family towards a
new future. This myth is still alive today. Not only in rural communities,
but also in the urban middle class communities that have come from
villages, families believe that their sons and daughters will pass
university, take on the responsibility of the family and change their
fortunes.

These fragmented dreams of families may turn into collective dreams on
a special day in history. A large section of the people unanimously
places the responsibility of building the future of the nation in the hands
of the students. Or the students take up that responsibility and the public
expresses its support for it in one sentence.

We had seen such incidents happening in 1952, 1969, 1990. Whenever
the nation has been plunged into deep crisis and the students have
shown the way out of that crisis, the common people have woken up and
have unquestioningly stepped in and rescued the nation from the crisis.

However, this 2024 mass uprising was much broader and deeper than
the previous mass uprisings and movements. The number of casualties
was much higher. The students proved with their lives that they really
wanted a change. And in exchange for those lives, people came and
stood by them.

National unity was created, the unity of the nation drove out the fascists
and created new possibilities.

We have now entered the process of translating that possibility into a
reality. The outline of change and reorganization that the youth
presented through their movement is now being widely discussed. The
interim government under the leadership of Dr. Muhammad Yunus is
working with an unprecedented vision. A massive campaign is underway
for reforms. There will definitely be disagreements, if there are different
opinions in society, there will be different paths. But the youth have
created such a reality, they have awakened such a dream in the minds
of people from which it is very difficult to come back.

The nation will plunge into massive frustration, if new and restructured
Bangladesh is not created.

As a result, this work will have to be carried out successfully. The
dreams that the youth have sown through the movement, through the
mass awakening, will have to be kept alive. In remembrance and
celebration, the power of the youth will have to remain united at any cost
so that Bangladesh can take on a new journey.

We must keep in mind the words of the martyrs who turned the
impossible into possible and move forward in front of our comrades. We
must turn the dream of building a new Bangladesh into a festival of
youth. (BSS)