Sara Zaker

Stories of resilience and heroism against patriarchy

When we talk about guerilla soldiers, we are often at a loss to put a face to their names. The Liberation War of Bangladesh was the combined effort of guerrilla warriors and organised military forces.

"You have to dream before your dreams can come true.” As I remember these words by APJ Abdul Kalam Azad, I say to myself, they resonate so perfectly with what our late Mayor Annisul Huq believed and expressed as much in a speech the graduating class of Daffodil University.

Behind the scene, in stage terms, is all that goes on behind what you see on stage as the audience. What you see on stage is more like the tip of the iceberg. You see only one-eighth of what it is. The rest of the seven parts of the iceberg remains unseen.

When it comes to cooking, I am reminded of the early days of trying my hand at the stove. The earliest was probably when we were in our single digits and would have bon-bhojon, i.e. cooking in the front yard or backyard with a bit of help from the cook or an adult.

When the Volkswagen Beetle started plying through the streets of Dhaka in the late '60s, I had little notion of the “big idea” behind the “small” car, whose famous ad proudly stated: “Think small.”

Mrs Rumbold was our class teacher in class five. She was heavy-set, probably in her mid-50s or mid-40s. In the eyes of a 12-year-old, everyone after 20 seems the same age. She had a really white handkerchief which hung smartly from her brown belt.

Through 1945 to 1946 and a part 1947, we were in Calcutta. During the riots, three families moved to 11 Circus Range for protection from any attack from non-Muslims.