Rowshon Ara no more

She was among the women who had fought shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts for establishing the right to speak in the mother tongue -- Bangla.

Rowshon Ara Bachchu, who was at the forefront during the 1952 Language Movement, passed away yesterday at the age of 87.

On February 21, 1952, her group was among the first to defy the section 144 of the then Pakistan government and gather under the historic Amtala on the Dhaka University campus. 

They broke the police barricade to march towards the assembly at Jagannath Hall.

Police swung into action firing teargas shells and beating up the protesters. The battle between the protesters and the police spilled out on to the streets. As they kept marching, shooting began, killing Salam, Barkat, Rafique, Jabbar, Shafiur and others.

Rowshon had been suffering from old-age complications for the last few months. She was admitted to Apollo Hospitals on Sunday evening with breathing complications, her daughter Tahmida Khatun told The Daily Star.

She breathed her last around 10:30am.

The language movement veteran has left behind four daughters, grandchildren and a host of relatives, admirers and well-wishers.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed profound shock and sorrow at the demise of the courageous language movement activist.

In their condolence messages, they recalled Rowshon’s contributions to the language movement. They also prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family members, reports BSS.

Rowshon’s body was kept at Bangla Academy premises yesterday afternoon to pay tribute to the departed soul.

Her first namaz-e-janaza was held at Dhaka University (DU) Central Mosque, while another namaz-e-janaza was held at her residence in the city’s Monipur area last night, said Tahmida Khatun.

She will be buried at a family graveyard in her village home in Moulvibazar’s Kulaura upazila today, she added.

Born in Kulaura on December 17, 1932, Rowshon completed her intermediate from Barishal’s Brojomohun College in 1948.

Rowshon got involved in student politics after she was admitted at DU in 1949, from where she completed her bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1953.

In her profession life, she worked as a teacher at several schools and colleges in the city, including Kakoli High School and Nazrul Academy. She went on retirement in 2002.