'I decided to go back to my village and find my parents'

My father named me after Mostafa Kamal Ataturk, father of Turkey. My father always thought I would be exceptional, I would do something for the people of my village, like he did. But look at me now, all I do is stare at the television.

I was a 22-year-old young man from Feni when I left home to join the Liberation War. I was a member of the then Communist Party of Bangladesh. 

From Feni, along with my other fellow team members, I crossed the border to get training. But across the border, I joined the voluntary group to work for the refugees there. 

I used to feed the emaciated people, helped doctors to treat them. We even used to carry sacks of rice, flour and other relief products from camp to camp. Somedays we used to make thousands of 'rotis' (flat bread) to feed these people. 

I thought I would take training and fight the Pakistani military inside Bangladesh. But when I saw these people starving, scattered all over the places - I could not leave them like that.

Around November, I returned to my homeland after getting an order from my political team. I was told to go undercover. 

In December, I was undercover at Jolai, a distant village in Feni. It was my maternal uncle's home. On December 16, 1971, I was lying on the bed listening to the radio when victory was announced. 

At first I thought it was a false announcement by the Pakistani government, so that the undercover warriors get out and they can capture them. After some time, I decided to go to the bazar and see what was really happening. 

When I reached the bazar, I met my fellow team members there. We realised that Bangladesh was finally free. I was so happy I cannot tell you.

At that moment I decided to go back to my village and find my parents. We went back home. I was excited. I thought now we can work to build this country. Together we will work. 

My village Haripur was a mess then. There was no food around. We formed a team and made a tent in the middle of Haripur Bazar. We collected sacks of flour and made rotis to feed the people. My father did not really like it as we were an affluent family. But I knew what I was doing.

But later I realised I really did not know what was happening. As the baby country was born, real crisis emerged. I could not survive in this political labyrinth anymore. 

Currently, I live with my family in Dhaka. I am 76-years-old, I stare at the television all day, every day, till dawn to dusk.      

 A K M Kamal Uddin Majumder, freedom fighter from Sector 2