Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra
Encyclopedia
Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra was a radio broadcasting centre in the India
n city of Kolkata
(then Calcutta) during the Bangladesh Liberation War
in 1971. This station played a vital role in increasing mental state of Bangladesh
is during the war. In 1971, radio was the only media reaching to the far ends of Bangladesh. It ran a propaganda campaign
through the war.
in India in August 1947, accompanied by the Partition of India
, gave birth to a new country named Pakistan
which constituted Muslim-majority areas in the far east and far west of the Indian subcontinent
. The Western zone was popularly (and for a period of time, also officially) termed est Pakistan]8] and the Eastern zone (modern-day Bangladesh) was initially termed East Bengal
and later, East Pakistan
. The two zones were separated by over thousand miles of Indian territory in the middle, and had vastly different culture. It was widely perceived that the west zone dominated the country, leading to the effective marginalization of the east zone. Growing disenchantment among the people of East Pakistan finally led to civil disobedience followed by Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
During the period of Liberation War of Bangladesh, media supported mass sentiments. They aired patriotic songs and talk shows. In the process of achieving our independence by trouncing the atrocities of the Pakistani military forces, the war-time broadcasting station “Shadheen Bangla Betar Kendra” played a vital role- in increasing the mental state of the whole Bangali nation by informing us how well we are advancing towards the victory. Shadheen Bangla Betar Kendra reached its pinnacle during the liberation war being acclaimed as the stool pigeon of war news updates through ‘Chorom Potro’. In those days when radio was the only media reaching to the far ends of Bangladesh, Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra eventually turned as the orator of the Bangladesh government in exile. It ran the nationalist campaign throughout the war in gearing up our freedom fighters moral and also mobilizing world opinion in favor of Bangladesh.
A telegram containing the text of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s 26 March’s declaration of independence reached some students in Chittagong. The message was translated to Bangla by Dr. Manjula Anwar. The students crossed Kalurghat Bridge into an area controlled by an East Bengal Regiment under Major Ziaur Rahman. Bengali soldiers guarded the station as engineers prepared for transmission. At 19:45 hrs on 27 March 1971, Major Ziaur Rahman broadcast an announcement of the declaration of independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The Kalurghat Radio Station's transmission capability was limited. The message was picked up by a Japanese ship in Bay of Bengal. It was then re-transmitted by Radio Australia and later by the BBC. It ran for 5 days as Pakistan Air Force bombed and damaged it on 30 March. Ten founding members broke up into two groups and went to Agartala and Tripura with a 1 kilowatt transmitter. On 3 April they restarted the broadcasting from Bagapha of Tripura and later moved to Agartala. The name was changed to Bangladesh Betar on 6 December 1971 after India gave recognition to Bangladesh as a sovereign country. Bangladesh Betar started broadcasting in independent country on 22 December 1971. With profound appreciation the nation will always remember the services of those ten individuals who included Belal Muhammad, Syed Abdus Shaker, Mostofa Anowar, Abdullah Al Faruque, Abul Quasem Shandeep, Aminur Rahman, Rashedul Hossain, A.M. Sharfuzzaman, Kazi Habib Uddin Moni and Rezaul Karim Chowdhury.
called upon the people to resist the occupation forces through a message on 26 March 1971. Mujib was arrested on the night of March 25-26, 1971 at about 1:30 a.m. (as per Radio Pakistan’s news on March 29, 1971).
A telegram containing the text of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's declaration reached some students in Chittagong. The message was translated to Bangla
by Dr. Manjula Anwar
. The students failed to secure permission from higher authorities to broadcast the message from the nearby Agrabad Station of Radio Pakistan. They crossed Kalurghat Bridge into an area controlled by an East Bengal Regiment under Major Ziaur Rahman
. Bengali soldiers guarded the station as engineers prepared for transmission. At 19:45 hrs on 27 March 1971, Major Ziaur Rahman broadcast another announcement of the declaration of independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur which is as follows.
The Kalurghat
Radio Station's transmission capability was limited. The message was picked up by a Japanese ship in Bay of Bengal
. It was then re-transmitted by Radio Australia
and later by the British Broadcasting Corporation.
M A Hannan
, an Awami League leader from Chittagong
, is said to have made the first announcement of the declaration of independence over the radio on 26 March 1971. There is controversy now as to when Major Zia gave his speech. BNP sources maintain that it was the 26th of March, and there was no message regarding declaration of independence from Mujibur Rahman. Pakistani sources, like Siddiq Salik in "Witness to Surrender" had written that he heard about Mujibor Rahman's message on the Radio while Operation Searchlight was going on, and Maj. Gen. Hakeem A. Qureshi in his book "The 1971 Indo-Pak War: A Soldier's Narrative", gives the date of Zia's speech as 27 March 1971 in Annex M (Oxford University Press, 2002 ISBN 0-19-579778-7).
was the most popular program hosted by M. R. Akhtar Mukul
. Here, he used to describe the uncomfortable position of Pak army in a funny voice and made his dialogues in Old Dhaka dialect. Chorompotro was planned by Abdul Mannan. Another popular program "Jallader Darbar" was run by Kalyan Mitra where approaches of Yahya Khan
, known in the program as "Kella Fateh Khan" were described in a funny manner. "Bojro Kontho" was the program where speech of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were presented. A group of young singers used to sing inspiring songs. Many poems and songs were written for this broadcasting. One of those songs Joy Bangla Banglar Joy (Victory of Bengal) was the signature tune of the radio. Many songs of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra like Purbo Digante Surjo Uthechhe, Ekti Phoolke Bachabo Bole, Salam Salam Hajar Salam, became immensely popular. Singers of the station raised funds singing their songs in different parts of West Bengal.
News broadcasts were made in Bengali, English and Urdu
. Secretary of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Convener Committee Kamal Lohani recalled, For us at the radio, it was a psychological warfare so we could say things to boost up people’s morale.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n city of Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
(then Calcutta) during the Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
in 1971. This station played a vital role in increasing mental state of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
is during the war. In 1971, radio was the only media reaching to the far ends of Bangladesh. It ran a propaganda campaign
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
through the war.
Background
The end of British ruleBritish Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
in India in August 1947, accompanied by the Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, gave birth to a new country named Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
which constituted Muslim-majority areas in the far east and far west of the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
. The Western zone was popularly (and for a period of time, also officially) termed est Pakistan]8] and the Eastern zone (modern-day Bangladesh) was initially termed East Bengal
East Bengal
East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....
and later, East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
. The two zones were separated by over thousand miles of Indian territory in the middle, and had vastly different culture. It was widely perceived that the west zone dominated the country, leading to the effective marginalization of the east zone. Growing disenchantment among the people of East Pakistan finally led to civil disobedience followed by Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
During the period of Liberation War of Bangladesh, media supported mass sentiments. They aired patriotic songs and talk shows. In the process of achieving our independence by trouncing the atrocities of the Pakistani military forces, the war-time broadcasting station “Shadheen Bangla Betar Kendra” played a vital role- in increasing the mental state of the whole Bangali nation by informing us how well we are advancing towards the victory. Shadheen Bangla Betar Kendra reached its pinnacle during the liberation war being acclaimed as the stool pigeon of war news updates through ‘Chorom Potro’. In those days when radio was the only media reaching to the far ends of Bangladesh, Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra eventually turned as the orator of the Bangladesh government in exile. It ran the nationalist campaign throughout the war in gearing up our freedom fighters moral and also mobilizing world opinion in favor of Bangladesh.
Formation
On 26 March 1971, just the day after the Operation Searchlight crackdown, when the brutal mass carnage by the Pakistani invaders plunged the nation into gloom and despair, at that critical juncture of history a voice was heard over Radio saying "SWADHIN BANGLA BIPLOBI BETAR KENDRA Theke Balchhi". With that broadcast the entire nation got back its confidence, courage of conviction and strong optimism. It was all possible because of the galant initiative taken by ten young individuals to start with 10 KW transmitter. Since then, during the whole period of Liberation War, Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra successfully carried out its intellectual war like an organized front and aired patriotic songs which greatly inspired the freedom fighters in their relentless fight against the Pakistan-led occupation forces, war news and talk shows to boost up people’s spirits.A telegram containing the text of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s 26 March’s declaration of independence reached some students in Chittagong. The message was translated to Bangla by Dr. Manjula Anwar. The students crossed Kalurghat Bridge into an area controlled by an East Bengal Regiment under Major Ziaur Rahman. Bengali soldiers guarded the station as engineers prepared for transmission. At 19:45 hrs on 27 March 1971, Major Ziaur Rahman broadcast an announcement of the declaration of independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The Kalurghat Radio Station's transmission capability was limited. The message was picked up by a Japanese ship in Bay of Bengal. It was then re-transmitted by Radio Australia and later by the BBC. It ran for 5 days as Pakistan Air Force bombed and damaged it on 30 March. Ten founding members broke up into two groups and went to Agartala and Tripura with a 1 kilowatt transmitter. On 3 April they restarted the broadcasting from Bagapha of Tripura and later moved to Agartala. The name was changed to Bangladesh Betar on 6 December 1971 after India gave recognition to Bangladesh as a sovereign country. Bangladesh Betar started broadcasting in independent country on 22 December 1971. With profound appreciation the nation will always remember the services of those ten individuals who included Belal Muhammad, Syed Abdus Shaker, Mostofa Anowar, Abdullah Al Faruque, Abul Quasem Shandeep, Aminur Rahman, Rashedul Hossain, A.M. Sharfuzzaman, Kazi Habib Uddin Moni and Rezaul Karim Chowdhury.
Declaration of Independence
In his declaration of independence Sheikh Mujibur RahmanSheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bengali nationalist politician and the founder of Bangladesh. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its Prime Minister. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its...
called upon the people to resist the occupation forces through a message on 26 March 1971. Mujib was arrested on the night of March 25-26, 1971 at about 1:30 a.m. (as per Radio Pakistan’s news on March 29, 1971).
A telegram containing the text of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's declaration reached some students in Chittagong. The message was translated to Bangla
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
by Dr. Manjula Anwar
Manjula Anwar
Dr. Manjula Anwar is a prominent Bengali linguist. She translated the famous independence telegram in Chittagong declaring the independence of East Pakistan from Pakistan as Bangladesh in 1971.-References:...
. The students failed to secure permission from higher authorities to broadcast the message from the nearby Agrabad Station of Radio Pakistan. They crossed Kalurghat Bridge into an area controlled by an East Bengal Regiment under Major Ziaur Rahman
Ziaur Rahman
President Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, was a Bangladeshi politician and general, who read the declaration of Independence of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971 on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He later became the seventh President of Bangladesh from 1977 until 1981...
. Bengali soldiers guarded the station as engineers prepared for transmission. At 19:45 hrs on 27 March 1971, Major Ziaur Rahman broadcast another announcement of the declaration of independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur which is as follows.
- This is Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendro. I, Major Ziaur Rahman, at the direction of Bangobondhu sheikh Mujibur Rahman, hereby declare that the independent People's Republic of Bangladesh has been established. At his direction, I have taken command as the temporary Head of the Republic. In the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I call upon all Bengalis to rise against the attack by the West Pakistani Army. We shall fight to the last to free our Motherland. By the grace of Allah, victory is ours. Joy Bangla. Audio of Zia's announcement (interview - Belal Mohammed)
The Kalurghat
Kalurghat
Kalurghat is located several miles north of the port city of Chittagong, Bangladesh, and is mostly famous for several heavy industries located there...
Radio Station's transmission capability was limited. The message was picked up by a Japanese ship in Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
. It was then re-transmitted by Radio Australia
Radio Australia
Radio Australia is the international broadcasting and online service operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation , Australia's public broadcaster.- History :...
and later by the British Broadcasting Corporation.
M A Hannan
M A Hannan
M. A. Hannan or Abdul Hannan is cited by many as the first person to read over radio the Bangladeshi declaration of independence, written by the leader of East Pakistan and Chief of Awami League Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from the Kalurghat Betar Kendra, Chittagong on March 26, 1971.During...
, an Awami League leader from Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
, is said to have made the first announcement of the declaration of independence over the radio on 26 March 1971. There is controversy now as to when Major Zia gave his speech. BNP sources maintain that it was the 26th of March, and there was no message regarding declaration of independence from Mujibur Rahman. Pakistani sources, like Siddiq Salik in "Witness to Surrender" had written that he heard about Mujibor Rahman's message on the Radio while Operation Searchlight was going on, and Maj. Gen. Hakeem A. Qureshi in his book "The 1971 Indo-Pak War: A Soldier's Narrative", gives the date of Zia's speech as 27 March 1971 in Annex M (Oxford University Press, 2002 ISBN 0-19-579778-7).
Regular features
ChorompotroChorompotro
Chorompotro was a popular radio program during the liberation war of Bangladesh coming out from the hidden Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendro uttered by M. R...
was the most popular program hosted by M. R. Akhtar Mukul
M. R. Akhtar Mukul
M. R. Akhtar Mukul was a Benaglee author and journalist from Bangladesh; earned fame for Chorompotro, a radio programme from Shwadhin Bangla Betar Kendro.- Chorompotro :...
. Here, he used to describe the uncomfortable position of Pak army in a funny voice and made his dialogues in Old Dhaka dialect. Chorompotro was planned by Abdul Mannan. Another popular program "Jallader Darbar" was run by Kalyan Mitra where approaches of Yahya Khan
Yahya Khan
General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan Qizilbash, H.Pk, HJ, S.Pk, psc was the third President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971, following the resignation of Ayub Khan...
, known in the program as "Kella Fateh Khan" were described in a funny manner. "Bojro Kontho" was the program where speech of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were presented. A group of young singers used to sing inspiring songs. Many poems and songs were written for this broadcasting. One of those songs Joy Bangla Banglar Joy (Victory of Bengal) was the signature tune of the radio. Many songs of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra like Purbo Digante Surjo Uthechhe, Ekti Phoolke Bachabo Bole, Salam Salam Hajar Salam, became immensely popular. Singers of the station raised funds singing their songs in different parts of West Bengal.
News broadcasts were made in Bengali, English and Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
. Secretary of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Convener Committee Kamal Lohani recalled, For us at the radio, it was a psychological warfare so we could say things to boost up people’s morale.
Performers
Apart from M.R. Akhtar Mukul, the other prominent performers of the Radio were:- Kamal Lohani-Head of the News
- Rokeya Haider-News in English
- Babul Akhtar-News in Bengali
- Abdul Jabbar Khan- Director, Drama
- Ajit Roy-Music Director & Composer
- Sujeo Sham-Music Director & Singer
- Apel Mahmud-Singer
- Abdul JabbarAbdul Jabbar (singer)Abdul Jabbar is a Bangladeshi singer with contributions to Bangladesh liberation war in 1971.He is the veteran singer of Bangladesh for his patriotic songs during the independence war of 1971 and also for his playback hits before and after 1971...
-Singer - Mala Khan- Singer
- Rupa Khan- Singer
- Jahangir Hayat Khan- Musician
- Mohammad Shah-Recitation from puthi (Bangla folk rhymes)
- Nasimul Quader Chowdhury-News