Defying the Odds: A Fight for Freedom and Justice

 I reset my wallpaper with the necessary information like name, blood group, emergency phone numbers and my university name in case anyone finds me dead or injured and can immediately take action. I usually don’t pray tahajjud, but decided to pray as it could be my last prayer. Then I tried to sleep but the thrill kept me awake. I don’t know when I fell asleep.

I think everyone joining the protest on 5 August, 2024 can relate with this situation when everything was so uncertain. Every night was full of terror because of the law enforcement officers and of course our previous autonomous government. My brother said if the officers find out about my participation, I could be imprisoned my whole life. But on 5 August, we finally overcame all of our dark chapters and could realize the real meaning of ‘freedom’.

The whole thing started with a small protest about reforming quota and ended by dragging an autocrat down. This is why the quote is so true that ’Never underestimate the power of a common man’. I still remember when the quota movement started, there was our final examination going on. Everyday it took 2-3 hours to reach home as I live far away from my university and it was quite a hassle. I was very disturbed with the situation and told my mother that what’s the point of protesting like this when the government never takes any initiatives regarding any legit protest. But the time came when we all realized how important the protest was for our freedom. 

On August 3, 2024, when we all gathered at Shahid Minar, I was so thrilled to realize that I really love my country so much and I even can die for it. That was the day when I decided to join every protest I can to ‘free’ my country from that autocrat prime minister. The day finally came when she fled the country and funny I had to change my wallpaper again as there was no need.

We celebrated with the whole country, gathering around wearing red, Bangladesh’s flag in our hand, singing songs of victory. After the victory came, I changed my mind on moving abroad. I think this is the perfect time when we can finally do something for the betterment of our beloved country. I along with some of my friends worked in our streets as there were no cleaners around. I also did some graffiti to portray the image of our victory as well as the protest. I want that whichever political party comes to power, they work just like sir Dr. Younus. We all should make up our mind that we’ll only do our own work perfectly because that is what makes the country’s growth. 

Though we have defied the odds, our job is yet not finished. There are more than thousands who are injured to save the country. We have to make sure that they get the proper treatment. Also the martyrs who gave away their lives just to make sure we can live happily here, should not be betrayed by us doing wrong deeds. We need to keep their memory alive and make sure that those situations never occur when we need to put our lives at stake again.