A tapestry of triumph: North Bengal Museum
Writing about the founder of the historical North Bengal Museum, fiction writer Anwara Syed Haque noted, "I can't tell if he's crazy or a genius."
This is the same question that has dogged many locals in Kurigram and northern genius. But the founder, Lincoln, lets his body of work speak for itself.
In a region rife with poverty, the museum makes it easy for its residents to understand its crucial role during critical periods of history.
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Lincoln has done his best to uphold that rich heritage and curate it for the people, presenting a picture of a gleaming star of the nation through a rich museum of the country's history.
It's a star that will guide you in the dark, a beacon atop a lighthouse, summoning the masses toward enlightenment.
The North Bengal Museum is one of the country's most important institutions today. Under the visionary leadership of lawyer SM Abraham Lincoln, the museum has firmly etched its name as a key repository of a tragic yet glorious chapter in Bangladesh's history.
While much has been written about the museum proper, its enigmatic founder, SM Abraham Lincoln, deserves further attention.
In his childhood, he dabbled in politics, proving to be a brilliant student leader. He was the assistant general secretary of the Rajshahi University Central Student Union and the university senator. He rode to both positions on an outpouring of votes from his peers, proving his popularity.
He also led from the front in the movement to oust dictator Ershad during the mass student uprising of the 1990s.
Having earned his stripes, he became a high court lawyer. But the impulsiveness – a mark of every genius – compelled him to return to Kurigram. There, he restarted his legal career. But it wasn't enough.
Lincoln thirsted for more. He began collecting historical documents and artifacts, setting up a museum in his home.
The museum is a collection of history and a grave retelling of the various war crimes witnessed during the Liberation War. His museum also played a role during the war crimes trial.
The first stirrings
Solid political beliefs and family influence are the reasons behind Lincoln's museum's creation.
His father, the late Mohiuddin Ahmed, was one of the organisers of the liberation war in Kurigram.
He was the commander of Ansar in the Kurigram subdivision. Under his leadership, Ansar members formed the first resistance in the liberation war in Kurigram.
Lincoln's brother, veteran freedom fighter Haroon Or Rashid Lal, was the district general secretary of the East Pakistan Students' Union and the leader of the Chhatra Sangram Parishad. Both father and son are known as brave freedom fighters who fought side by side in the same sector.
During the war, Lincoln's father came across a child, a boy. The family later adopted him after failing to find his birth parents. The child was named SM Al Mahmud Sajib.
"We have in our homes living memorials of the war of Liberation. When I see Sajib, I see the liberation war in him every day. He still searches for his father," Lincoln said.
Indeed, remnants of the liberation war dot Kurigram to this day.
At one point, the Bangla Academy tasked Lincoln with writing the history of the Liberation War. The result was the book "Regional History of Liberation War: Rangpur."
Before that, he worked in an organisation called Rangpur Research Council. There, he began working on a collective book called "Eminent People of Rangpur."
This was the start of his museum's journey.
While working in the field, he came across some documents from anti-independence activists. He read how they cooperated, and evidence of embezzlement of the wealth of Hindus also emerged.
He also received handwritten petitions from anti-independence activists asking for forgiveness for their misdeeds.
The setup
Advocate Lincoln had earlier given some memorials of the Liberation War in Dhaka-Rangpur, but those were not displayed for various reasons.
He privately thought it had yet to gain importance at a national level due to the regional nature of the artifacts. This made him think. It was their regional history and needed to be properly showcased.
Lincoln wanted to build a war museum about the north. To do so, he sought the cooperation of politicians, socialites, the local administration and private bodies. But no one came forward.
He turned to his wife, Professor Nazmun Nahar Sweety. He began exhibiting the works in his own home in consultation with her.
Thus the North Bengal Museum was born in 2012.
It began with his drawing room, but soon the entire house was filled with memorabilia.
Initially, it was only based on the liberation war. Still, later on the advice of many, including Mofidul Haque, the founder and trustee of the Liberation War Museum, he also began showcasing historical, cultural and regional heritage.
In a rare example, Lincoln donated land worth several crores to build a separate building for the museum along with his residence in Kurigram town.
The Local Government Engineering Department has begun the construction work with funding from the liberation war ministry.
A tapestry of history
The museum displays dummy rifles, boxes of exploding mortar cells, and grenade shells fired by the Pakistan Army.
Documents from the civil administration of the North Zone in 1971, records of revenue collection and court documents are also kept there.
There are various documents on the activities of the local peace committee, some application forms to join the Rajakar army, a list of resolutions of the peace committee, application forms for possession of Hindu properties and copies of handwritten apologies of local rajakars.
The display also has photos and identities of elite fighters who earned titles in the 70s.
There is also a sewing machine that was used to make the flag of independent Bengal in Kurigram.
Visitors can also peruse the letter written by Sher-e-Bangla regarding the decision to be made in the 1954 election and Bangabandhu's letter to the wives and mothers of the martyrs.
There are all the issues of a handwritten newspaper published from the battlefield.
A court registrar's/photocopy of a charge sheet in the Collaborator Act is displayed with a nearly century-old diary belonging to a lawyer.
Terracotta bricks of ancient temples recovered from Ulipur are also shown.
The North Bengal Museum also has metal and paper coins from different periods, including the pre-British period.
There is the original leaflet issued by Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw calling for the surrender of Pakistanis, alongside various other documents.
Museum designer Abraham Lincoln said soil is being gradually collected from killing fields and mass graves across the country. A map of Bangladesh will be constructed in the museum using the soil from the country's 64 districts.
The plan for the museum is the new building, construction for which began on July 2, 2021. It will cost Tk2.16 crore.
Lincoln said he plans to preserve artefacts from the Greater Bengal region in this museum.
He emphasised the importance of forming a permanent fund for the museum's management.
"Although we established it, it is owned by the people of Bangladesh," he said.
