contact
The Liberation War Museum
5 Segun Bagicha
Dhaka -- 1000
Bangladesh
Tel: 880 2 955 9091
Fax: 880 2 955 9092
Asian Sites of Conscience Network
» send e-mail
» Visit website
Jahanara Imam
Jahanara Imam lost her son and husband to the war. She has been an icon to many freedom-loving people because of her book, “Of Blood and Fire,” that recounts the horrific days of 1971.
In 1971, her son Rumi had just entered the University when the Pakistan Army began its crackdown on the Bengalee struggle for autonomy. Rumi became active in the struggle and joined the Liberation Force for Bangladesh. During a guerilla operation in Dhaka against the occupying Pakistan Army, Rumi was arrested, and like many others, he disappeared without a trace.
In 1990, Jahanara Imam began a movement to rekindle the spirit of the Liberation War. General apathy about the war had set in, encouraged by the ruling parties who wished to lessen the importance of the struggle in order to rehabilitate those who were against the war in 1971 and collaborated with the Pakistanis. Jahanara devoted her life to keeping the meaning of the war in the forefront of national consciousness.
In 1994, Jahanara Imam died after a long struggle with cancer. Her dedication and spirit for freedom inspired the establishment of the Liberation War Museum.
