Musings: 1971 visit to war torn Bangladesh

Hi Guys! I am much better and almost normal after the ‘flu attack.

While I was down, I was wondering what to post next to this group.

I thought “why not start with the day I got my first camera” and then go on to the best photo opportunity that I have had so far.

Remember, I am 52 years old next month. That’s a long innings that does give one a lot of opportunities for photo shoots!!! :-)

My first camera was an Asahi Pentax K1000. I still use it. It has a very fast 1.2 Macro Lens. It came as a gift from my mother when my daughter was born way back in 1977. That makes the camera 26 years old! The other day I was taking some photographs in the Deira gold souk when a Yugoslav approached me. He was also a photographer, he said. He showed me his camera, also a K1000 but not made in Japan like mine was. We both agreed that this particular model is a fantastic one.

I have traveled a lot in my time but the very best photo opportunity came in early 1972. I was in Calcutta then, on a holiday during my college vacation. The Pakistani Army Commander in the Eastern Command, Lt. General A. A. K. Niazi, had surrendered to Lt. General Jagjit Singh Aurora of the Indian Army on 16th December, 1971 and Bangladesh had been borne. My father had a lot of contacts with the Government-in-exile of Bangladesh and so I pestered him to take me to Bangladesh.

All one needed in the immediate days after the war was a pass signed by the Indian Army or issued by the Bangladesh Government in Exile which operated from a building in South Calcutta and called itself “Mujibnagar” after Mujibur Rehman.

We got the pass and on 2nd January set out to see the new country. I took along my mother’s camera, a Leica with a Zeus Icon lens. Another hardy piece of equipment that she had purchased in 1958 and which was still going strong in 1972.

My father had told me that we would go to Bangladesh only on one condition – that we would leave very early in the morning and return the same day. In those days it was very dangerous as there were a lot of fleeing Pakistani troops who were still armed and a lot of Razakar’s – Bihari Muslim civilians who had supported the Pakistanis violent suppression of the people of former East Pakistan.

The border is not very far from Calcutta and can be reached fairly quickly. When we got there, there seemed to be some sort of commotion going on. This was at Petrapole, on the Indian side. Apparently a car trying to smuggle guns had been detected by the Indian Army and we were advised that there would be a long delay. We got out of the car to stretch our legs and to try and work our way out of the jam. We were in luck – there was a Mukti Bahini officer (a Bangladeshi Freedom Fighter), Arun Barun Boswas, who was in a hurry to get to his place and he offered to get us out of the traffic jam and moving if we could drop him at Khulna. We agreed and thereby started a great adventure.

Using his influence we were off in minutes. He knew everyone at the customs. We came to a halt at the Benapole Land Customs on the Bangladesh side which is a little further down the road. There we saw (Photo opportunity # 1) a very young boy, maybe just 15 years old but already a hardened Mukti Bahini fighter standing at guard with a Lee Enfield 303 rifle.

We were soon waved through when they saw Arun Barun Biswas with us.

Just after the border comes the town of Jessore with its Cantonment. In their bid to stop the advance of the Indian Army, the Pakistani troops had blown up a bridge and the Indian Army had created a temporary floating pontoon bridge. (This was photo opportunity # 2). Huge Army trucks were crossing and had preference and we had to wait till they got across. It was like a scene out of a war movie!

All the buildings were pock marked with bullet marks. There were burnt out petrol stations all along the route. The road, though a metal one, was rough because it had been churned up by tank tracks.

A little further we came a cross a Sherman T-42 Pakistani Army tank that had been abandoned. The machine gun and live ammunition was till in the turret! (Photo Op # 3)

Biswas told us that he would show us foxholes where the Pak Army had dug in. We detoured and saw the foxholes. Some of them had suffered direct hits by Indian Air Force aircraft but many were intact. (Photo Op # 4).

A little further we saw a huge group of people and immediately knew that something out of the ordinary was taking place. We stopped the car and elbowed our way forward to see what it was. A Razakar had been captured! We saw this bearded person in ethnic dress with his hands tied behind his back being marched by a huge crowd. We were told that they would probably finish him off in the next few minutes. (Photo Op # 5). (I still have this particular photo somewhere!)

And so on it went.

In those days one took photographs in black and white. I don’t know now where the negatives are. I had three or four pictures with me in Dubai and am trying to locate them. If I do I shall post a copy to the photos section.

Looking back, it seems unbelievable. But it did happen, I assure you.

Best wishes,

Prakash