The college goers of ’90s are sure to get nostalgic if I remind them of Gaane Gaane Bhalobasa, a Bangla album — a story of a man and a woman through exchange of letters, with songs by Parashpathar and Anjan Dutta. It includes some classic numbers like “Bondhu”, “Esho amar ghore ekbar”, “Shohorer ushnotomo dine” and of course “Bhalobasa mane Archies gallery”.

It was a good collection to have and I bought a copy at Tk 35. “Archies gallery” was one of the first few songs that I learnt to play on my Gibson guitar. I didn’t know what really Archies gallery was and what it had to do with “Bhalobasa”. Never mind, I used to live in a small district town of North Bengal and I was not that smart.

But as I moved to the capital on completion of HSC, I finally understood what it was all about.

It is greeting card that has something to do with love. Archies gallery sells greeting cards and those are beautiful.

I also learnt that there is a very special day when the sales of those cards go unusually up. It’s called Valentine’s Day.

Cards account for 60 percent of Valentine’s Day spending, according to an estimate. The number of cards given at Valentine’s Day is second only to Christmas. As cards are such a big piece of the business, Archies and Hallmark want to make sure we find the right thing to say. That’s why they offer thousands of Valentine’s card designs.

However, options are there to choose candies, flowers and jewelries.

From Parashpathar to Archies to Valentine’s Day — my general knowledge was developing every day.

But what is the day anyway?

On February 14, one has to wish his or her loved ones a happy Valentine’s Day. This is celebrated across the world, with great romantic fervors and enthusiasm. Over the years, it became popular also in Bangladesh.

The day is named after Saint Valentine, a priest at Rome in the days of Claudius II.

Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II, Rome was involved in many bloody campaigns. Claudius was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military. He believed the reason was that men did not want to leave their loves or families. So, the mighty emperor cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome.

Saint Valentine stood against the regime. He secretly helped couple marry, and for this kind deed he was dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. He suffered martyrdom on February 14, about the year 270.

Oh my God! St Valentine was a martyr! He was a rebel! This is why I never want to read history. It reminds us of many things that we want to forget. If the couples of our time while roaming around TSC on February 14 are reminded of the sacrifice and martyrdom of Valentine, the day is sure to be ruined.

Perhaps amnesia makes our life less painful.

We easily forgot the anti-autocracy movement of the ’80s. On February 14, 1983, students lodged a massive protest against the education policy of Ershad-led military regime that usurped to the state power the previous year. Five students — Jafar, Dipali Saha, Zainal, Mojammel and Ayub — were shot to death by law enforcers. The next year, on the same day, the military rulers ran a truck on a peaceful procession marking the anniversary of the killing. Selim and Delwar were crushed under the wheels to death.

Finally, following supreme sacrifices of many others like Dr Milon and Noor Hossain, the ruler-cum-dictator Ershad was ousted in 1990. This was how country achieved democracy.

But the times they are a-changin’. Hardly anyone now recalls Jafar, Dipali and others on February 14. Thanks to media promotion, young people and students have to celebrate the Valentine’s Day. Bhalobasa mane Archies Gallery!

Written by: Shahtub Siddique Anik

Reportedly, a few years back, then a member of the BCL faction dominating the campus, Zubair Ahmed beat two students named Ashikul Islam and Rashedul Islam.  Little did he know that this act would result in his death.

“Little did he know” — I found the phrase quite interesting after I saw a movie.

In Stranger than Fiction (2006), directed by Marc Forster, Professor Hilbert explains to Harold Crick, “Little did he know means that there’s something that he doesn’t know, which means that there’s something that you don’t know. Did you know that?” This gap in knowledge helps move the plot as Harold Crick goes in search of what he doesn’t know or understand.

There was something that Zubair, a student of Jahangirnagar University English department, was yet to know or understand — this incident of torturing fellow students could lead to his death. But this was not his only ignorance or the only “gap in knowledge”.

He also did not know (or understand) that it was dangerous to get involved with an organisation that makes a devil out of a student instead of utilising the creative force within him.

Zubair paid the price.

His “gap in knowledge” originates from the bad schooling of his organisation that believes power is something constant and they can dominate the campus forever and ever.

They were wrong; another faction drove them out of the campus. What happens to Zubair now?

On January 8 this year, he was brutally beaten for hours by none other than Ashikul, Rashedul and their associates. Thirteen hours later, he succumbed to his injuries.

For Ashikul and Rashedul it was payback time and they showed no mercy. They did not worry about anything as they were involved with the BCL faction that had backing right from the vice-chancellor and established control over the campus.

Zubair had come to the campus only to take an examination and had reportedly distanced himself from politics. Little did he know that this would be his “final exam”.

“Little did he know” — we hardly think how important the phrase in our life is.

“I’ve written papers on ‘Little did he know’. I’ve taught classes on ‘Little did he know.’ I once gave an entire seminar based upon ‘Little did he know’,” Professor Hilbert says in the movie. It’s a must-watch cinema.

Zubair is not the only one to suffer the “gap in knowledge”.  We have seen youngsters time and again taking the wrong path and their life being destroyed. Many of them initially joined the ruling party’s student wing for accommodation in dormitories or for some extra bucks.

Jahangirnagar University has seen several political killings: Kabir in 1989, Dipu in 1993 and Ananda in 1998; not to speak of the clashes that left hundreds injured and disabled for life.

We of course demand justice for all the murders, including that of Zubair, and also a probe into the roles of teachers who stoke up campus violence and play games with the life of students.

But our students also have to take lessons from all this and be aware of what to do and what not to do. It is time they rejected the evil force which in the guise of student politics only teaches them to kill each other. Its time they gave birth to new politics that will teach everyone to dream again.

Our nation does not want them to suffer any “gap in knowledge”.

প্রথম ঘটনাটি আমাদের বিজয় দিবস ও তার পরদিনের, বাংলাদেশ ২ দিন পর তথাকথিত আনুষ্ঠানিক প্রতিবাদ করলেও ভারত শুধু দুঃখ প্রকাশ করে এবং বলে তারা তদন্ত করবে। কি করলো আমরা জানিনা, আমাদের সরকার বোধকরি জানতে চায়নি।

“এরকম তো আগেও ঘটেছে, এখনো ঘটছে এবং ভবিষ্যতেও ঘটবে। আমাদের তো আরো কাজ-কর্ম আছে,” শনিবার বলেন স্থানীয় সরকারমন্ত্রী। “সরকার এ ব্যাপারে উদ্বিগ্ন নয়।”

এ লজ্জার। ভীষন লজ্জার যে ভারতীয় সীমান্তরক্ষীরা বিনাবিচারে এদেশের মানুষদের খুন করার পরেও (মরনাস্ত্র ব্যবহার না করার প্রতিশ্রুতি ভারতই দিয়েছিল আগে) আমাদের সরকার এরকম ভাবলেশহীন থাকতে পারছে।

ডিসেম্বরের ঘটনায় ভারত ক্রসফায়ার থিওরি দিয়ে বাংলাদেশের মুখ বন্ধ করেছিল, বাংলাদেশী নির্যাতনের ঘটনায় তারা জড়িত ৮ বিএসএফ সদস্যকে বরখাস্ত করেছে আর সাথে তদন্ত চলছে। আর আজকে সকালের ঘটনায় এখনো পর্যন্ত কিছু জানা যায়নি।

ভারতের অভিভাবকসুলভ আচরনের মূল কারন বাংলাদেশ সরকারের “নমনীয়তা” বা “ভয়”। আর ভারতের এই আচরনের পেছনের কারন অনেক পুরনো। বোধকরি বাংলাদেশের জন্মের সময় থেকেই তারা নানাভাবে সাহায্য-সহযোগিতার কথা বলে কর্তিত্ব করার চেষ্টা করেছে এবং আমাদের দূর্ভাগ্য তারা সফল হয়েছে।

এদিকে ভারতীয় মাদক চোরাচালানকারীদের সাথে বাংলাদেশী বিজিবি সদস্যদের বন্দুকযুদ্ধে ১ ভারতীয় মারা যায় ২ দিন আগে। এরপর চোরাচালানকারীরা ১ জন বিজিবি সদস্যকে তুলে নিয়ে যায়। গতরাতে তাকে বাংলাদেশে পাঠানো হয়।

এত এত ঘটনা ঘটে, তারপর মিটিং হয়, আর কিভাবে যেন সব মিটমাট হয়ে যায় বুঝিনা।

গরু ও অন্যান্য চোরাচালান, জঙ্গী অনুপ্রবেশ আর ফেন্সিডিলের ব্যবসা বন্ধ করতে কি তাহলে কেউ চায় না? নাকি আসলে দুই দেশ চায় মিলেমিশে এসব ব্যবসা চালিয়ে যেতে!!!

সীমান্তে হত্যা নিয়ে আরো লেখা পড়ুনঃ

ভারতের “ক্রসফায়ার থিওরি” সফল!

Indian apology not enough to end border murders