Even hundreds of years ago, Bengalis were known as a proud nation. As a progressive country in the time of Alexander the Great, the people of Greece knew about the Gangarid of that time and the Bengali nation of today.
In the Middle Ages, Bangladesh was a prosperous city. Ibn Battuta, a world-famous tourist from Morocco, came to Bangladesh from all over the world and commented, "I have visited many countries of the world but I have never seen such an abundance of products and cheap prices anywhere else." At that time ships from China, Malaysia and other countries used to come to the port of Bangladesh to take goods. Muslin was a delicate material made in Bangladesh. In the Middle Ages, Bangladesh was known all over the world as the land of muslin.
In those ancient and medieval times Bengal was a wealthy town. Bengal's inexhaustible resources became a nightmare for this country. The soldiers from Karnataka have ever come to plunder this wealth. Never send and Mughals. However, all of them have chosen the Gangetic delta as their country. By uniting with the land and the people, they have developed their identity as the children of this country. Portuguese, Dutch, French and English merchants anchored in the country in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The East India Company received business permission from the Nawab of Bengal. European merchants were not satisfied with the business. They also extended their hand towards the masons of Bengal. The conspiracy began. Azam Mir Jafar Ali Khan, the chief commander and vizier of Sirajuddaula, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, joined the conspiracy. In his greed to become Nawab, Mir Jafar sold his conscience to foreign merchants. Jagatsheth, Yar Latif, Roy Durlav and many more traitors took part in this conspiracy. Nawab Sirajuddaula was aware of the conspiracy of the British.
Was. So he declared war on them. The battle took place on 23 June 1757 at Palashi premises. The Nawab of Bengal was also defeated in this battle with a large force. The British easily won as two-thirds of the Nawab's forces, including Mir Jafar, refrained from fighting. The sun of Bengal's independence sank in the Palashi desert. Then for 190 years this country was a victim of ruthless exploitation. In just 13 years of British rule, Sonar Bangla became a crematorium. There is a shortage of food. In 160 AD, that is, in the year 118 Bengal, a terrible famine occurred. One-third of Bengal, i.e. 10 million people died of starvation due to that famine.
At a time when one person after another is dying in famine, the British have been forced to collect revenue from this country. In the year after the famine also 5 lakh 22 thousand taka more revenue was collected than the previous year. In today's currency this amount is equal to several hundred crores. Hundreds of thousands of people died in the three great famines of 18, 1896 and 1943 during the British rule. Of these, more than 3.5 million people lost their lives in the famine of 1943 alone. At the time of the fall of Nawab Sirajuddaula, Murshidabad, the capital of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, was a richer city than London. The aristocracy of Dhaka, Chittagong city was more than any other city in Europe. Before and after 1857, huge quantities of goods including textiles, sugar and spices were exported from this country to Europe. By 1947, Bangladesh had become almost an industrialized country. The British left the country on 14 August 1947. Bangladesh emerged as part of Pakistan. Bengali Muslims were the main leaders in the Pakistan movement. The Muslim League, which led the Pakistan movement, was established in Dhaka under the presidency of Nawab Salimullah of Dhaka. The Muslims of Bengal came together and voted for Pakistan. But despite being a majority in independent Pakistan, Bengalis were neglected. Even in the 23 years of Pakistan, Bangladesh was a victim of ruthless exploitation. Jute was the main export product of Pakistan.
This jute was produced in the then East Pakistan i.e. present day Bangladesh. Money for jute exports was deposited in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Bengalis stood up against this exploitation. The struggle for independence began. The Awami League led by Bangabandhu won the 1970 elections. Instead of handing over power to the elected representatives, on the night of March 25, 1971, the Pakistanis attacked the Bengalis. The genocide began. At this difficult time, the people of Bangladesh declared independence.
Many people know about the mythical phoenix bird. This magical bird has the credit of flying through the ashes. Bangladesh and the Bengali nation can be compared with this bird. In the war of liberation Pakistanis carried out reckless genocide in Bangladesh. Millions of people were killed. Thousands of homes were set on fire. Hundreds of bridges and culverts were destroyed in the war of liberation. The victory of the war of liberation was achieved in return for the self-sacrifice of 3 million people. It can be said that Bangladesh emerged on the rubble. The enemies of this country used to say sarcastically, "This is a bottomless basket". Bengalis have proved that Bangladesh is not a bottomless basket. Experts from the World Bank, the IMF and the developed world have acknowledged Bangladesh's progress over the past four decades as a surprise. At the time of independence, the economic gap between Pakistan and Bangladesh was huge. Today, Bangladesh has surpassed Pakistan in terms of development. In this case, India is also behind Bangladesh. The self-sacrifice of the Bengali nation for independence did not fail. The feat of flying from the ashes like a phoenix is now the subject of research by some of the world's best economists and development researchers.
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