As a freedom fighter, he never surrendered his moral weapon to the opponent. After liberation of Bangladesh within very short time, in the style of Pakistan military coup d'état, the father of nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed.
by Swadesh Roy
Ajay Roy, a retired professor of Physics of Dhaka University and the highest state award winner passed away on December 9, 2019. The Bangladeshi Media have shown their respect to him publishing the news with honor of his death.
In fact, the death of Professor Ajay Roy is not only the death of a veteran professor but also it is the end of a long history that he was carrying throughout his life. Bangladesh is a land which created a series of historical events one after another for building up an independent state and a modern society. The revolutionary people of Bangladesh walked a long path for it but they had to give more prices for that. Bangladesh is a country of Muslim majority; once they casted their votes for creating Pakistan, an independent state in the name of religion. On the contrast, the educated Muslim youth turned over the coin after immediate making of Pakistan. They started establishing language based nationalism in their soil. It was so tough the then time. But they initiated their journey remembering Rabindranath Tagore “If nobody comes, you walk alone by the light of breastbones fire”. Mr. Roy was a high school student at that time. When a school going Bengali Hindu boy of East Bengal from a peripheral town was holding the hand of progressive young Bengali Muslim boys, then most of the Hindu senior leaders of East Bengal were in a dilemma. They couldn’t find out what would be their ultimate destination to live in East Bengal and join the light which was lit by the young Muslim boys for creating a new nation or leave the country accepting the life of refuge in India. It is true that many hardships came on the way of Hindu’s in East Bengal. Similarly, this type of hardship was faced by the Muslims of India. No doubt, Indian Muslim’s had taken all the pains but did not leave the country. On the other hand, the Hindus of East Bengal did not stop this current of leaving own soil and taking a refugee life in India. From his boyhood, Ajay Roy was against the proceedings of this current. He built up himself as a citizen of his own soil. That’s why, from early 1960’s, when he was a young professor of a college, became one of the leaders of the progressive movement of East Bengal. In 1952, the language movement of East Bengal was a landmark; Ajay Roy was one of them of that movement. After 1952, the General Election of Pakistan was another landmark for the secular politics in East Bengal. In this General Election, the people of East Bengal totally rejected the religious politics and their representatives of Muslim League. It was possible by dint of the relentless sacrifice of young and educated students, teachers, politicians and other professionals; Ajoy Roy was one of them. Though, the people of East Bengal buried the religious politics voting in the General Election but the conspirators took other ways. They succeeded returning one kind of religious politics in alliance with military ruler. In 1958, a coup d'état happened by the Military General Ayub Khan. He took over the power and declared this nation is not fit for democracy. His words were totally humiliating for the civilians. However, taking this humiliation, many of the civil leaders surrendered to Ayub Khan. In this context, some young political leaders following the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman continued the fight against military ruler. At that time, many intellectuals and professionals also surrendered to the military ruler Ayub Khan. But some senior intellectuals, professionals and a group of young intellectuals strongly opposed the uncivilized military rule and continued their fighting for democracy and freedom; Ajoy Roy was one of the young intellectual leaders in the then time. During mid-1960 to late 1960, the students’ movement arose heavily against the military rule. Then, Dhaka University was the main center of it. As a teacher of Dhaka University, Ajoy Roy helped the students’ movement and led the teacher’s movement against the military rule. This students’ movement turned into people’s uprising in 1969 and people’s uprising dethroned Ayub Khan from the power of Pakistan. As a teacher union leader, Ajoy Roy played a vital role.
After the overthrown of Ayub Khan, the next military ruler Yahya Khan was bound to declare the General Election in Pakistan. The General Election was held in 1970; it was one kind of referendum for the people of East Bengal because if they didn’t produce a united result, the movement of twenty two years of East Bengal wouldn’t make any positive result. Rather, a big failure would be marked in their fate. So, all the progressive intellectuals gave labor in that election like devoted political workers; Ajoy Roy also did that.
The whole world knows Yahya Khan did not hand over the power to the elected leaders. Then, the majority party’s leader Sheikh Mujib called Non Co-operation Movement against the Pakistan government. At that time, Ajoy Roy was the leader of Dhaka University Teacher’s Union. As a teacher’s leader like other progressive intellectuals, he declared many times in the Central Martyr’s Monument in Bangladesh for the independence of the country. As an intellectual, he did his very job because he had to meet this demand before the politicians. When the leader of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the independence and called for the freedom struggle, he joined the liberation war.
As a freedom fighter, he never surrendered his moral weapon to the opponent. After liberation of Bangladesh within very short time, in the style of Pakistan military coup d'état, the father of nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed. They changed the constitution of Bangladesh and omit the secularism from the constitution. Lots of teacher and intellectual collaborated with this fundamentalist military ruler but Ajoy Roy continued his fight for secularism, democracy and people’s right. For this reason, he has to pay a lot. He was tortured by the military ruler but never surrendered. However, in 1990’s military ruler was ousted in Bangladesh but the Islamic fundamentalism entered into the society and the state power. In that complicated time, Ajoy Roy fought against fundamentalism with a brave heart. He had not only fought on the road but also fought inside his family. He made all of his members modern and secular. Humanity was the main religion of his family. Besides, he loved all the modern and secular movements. In Bangladesh, after the 1969’s people uprising, there was mammoth young uprising held in 2013, Gonojagoron (People’s Rising). As a man of eighty years old Ajoy Roy was one of the regular participants in that uprising movement. That uprising was the heavy blow for the Islamic fundamentalist of Bangladesh. Ajoy Roy had to pay more after that uprising. Some fundamentalists hacked his scientist elder son to unbearable death. To take this pain, Ajoy Roy continued his secular modern society build up journey.
In conclusion, Ajoy Roy died on December 9, 2019 at the age of 84. But it is true from all the perspectives; the journey he undertook in his whole life will not be stopped because it was a journey towards light from darkness.
Swadesh Roy, Senior Journalist, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is a highest state award winning journalist and can be reached at swadeshroy@gmail.com
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