TechSpotlight
Know more on Liberation War online
THE last month was a historic month for all Bangalis and will always remain so. It is the month we will always cherish and value, when we Bangalis took the major step of going into war; to fight for what was rightfully ours, our motherland, Bangladesh.
It has been almost 38 years since we have earned our freedom, independence and victory. And even now the stories that revolve around the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War does not grow old. They remain eternal and evergreen. However, the ways the stories are told have changed overtime.
Previously we used to take the pleasure of hearing the stories relating to the war, the freedom-fighters, intellectuals and the martyrs all from our great grandparents, grandfather and grand mother and even our mum and dad, who have been an eye-witness to the war. But now with the advancement of technology and the effortless process of setting up a web page has allowed all the data, facts, information and stories to be compiled and digitalised and be uploaded over the internet and viewed online.
From my personal perspective, GOOGLING (www.google.com.bd) is the easiest and the simplest way you can get to know about all the moments as well as stories of the war that makes us to be a proud Bangali. All you do is just type in your topic of interest and just be amazed by numerous results that will be given to you enhancing your knowledge about the history of your nation as well as giving you different insights and opinions.
However, searching for the right information over Google can take ages and so to make life more easier for you, let me just narrow down your options to a few of my personal favourites which has brought me closer to my country and its inspiring and stimulating past.
To kick off with let me tell you about a very basic website which we all have heard of and even used. It is definitely not Google, but its something which is similar to it and as informative as Google itself. It is www.wikipedia.com. Just type in and search for the Bangladesh Liberation War (www.en.wikipedia .org/wiki/Bangladesh_Liberation_War) and I assure you that you will be hooked onto your sit for a good half an hour or so as you read about all the relevant and exciting information about the war. At the same time you understand what makes 26th March and 16th December of 1971 such a memorable day in the history. Not only that, it tells you about the inspirational speeches delivered by Bangabandhu Sheik Mujibur Rahman, Ziaur Rahman and many more that gave us Bangalis the strength and courage to fight and stand up for ourselves as a nation.
Another site which is my personal favourite is the site that has been developed by Liberation War Museum,www.liberationwarmuseum .org. This site follows the same belief as the museum itself that is dedicating the site and the museum to all the freedom loving people and to pay a tribute to the millions who have been victim of violence and extensive damages at the time of the war, and also to those who have shown bravery and courage during the Liberation War. The site contains vivid details of the war in the form of both words and images and contains overwhelming and even heartbreaking videos of the war. Apart from that it has videos of the inspirational 7th March 1971 speech by Bangabandhu, the declaration of Independence by Zia and the press conference of Yayha. And on top of that it has a compilation of many songs of freedom including the ones sung by George Harrison during that period.
Websites like Virtual Bangladesh (www .virtualbangladesh.com) and Discovery Bangladesh (www .discoverybangladesh.com) apart from providing you with an excellent nation profile, also tells you about the history behind this great country. In Discovery Bangladesh, the story of the war is explained to you in the shortest way possible; however quality is not compromised since all that information is relevant and precise. However in Virtual Bangladesh, you experience the history of Bangladesh through sounds and scenes along with in depth historical overview of Bangladesh and the 1971 war.
www.meltingpot.fortunecity.com/hastings/430 brings the story of the Liberation War against Pakistan, right from the beginning, through the aid of visual images. Some of these images bring a huge smile on your face while others make you remember the sacrifices and hardships that all the freedom fighters had to endure and appreciate all that they have done for you so that you can speak in your mother tongue while standing with your heads high up in your own motherland.
Another one of my personal favourites is a short documentary that tells you about the Liberation War, right from the formation of East and West Pakistan to the victorious cheers on 16th December 1971 after Bangladesh triumphed over the intense and grueling nine-month war. So in order to check the documentary out please visit, www.video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3657849156911580542 .
www.somewhereinblog.net provides you with the unique opportunity to share your thoughts and opinions about the 1971 war, both in Bangla and English. Along with sharing your perspectives you can even upload and share images and videos relating to the war that you have stored in your personal stash. So what are you waiting for, to know the feelings and emotions of other in respect to the war and to share your own, just register and start pouring your heart out in www.somewhereinblog.net.
Banglapedia(www.banglapedia.net/HT/W_0020.HTM), which is the national encyclopedia of Bangladesh, also informs you about the 1971 Liberation War and that too in great details. Apart from that site such as www.bangladeshinfo.com and www.bangla2000.com do not lag behind to enlighten you about the days and months that have allowed us to stand with our heads high in the world today.
It's amazing to see how the entire world is coming down at our fingertips. The stories revolving around the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War which are timeless and were always heard through different bedtime stories and even in family reunions and many more events and occasions, are now only a click away. And through the digitalisation of these information and stories, it shows that we as a nation, yet again, are taking another gradual step towards becoming a digital Bangladesh.
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