The author of the following post is Sazid Hasan (SFS-Q ‘29).
How many times do I need to be born to break the sense of inferiority and the shackles of colonialism?
Today I was messing around with my friends, saying, “The white control over the world, they have every right to play around with us!” Surprisingly, once we had quite the same position, and the British businessman would bow down in front of us. We lost that strong self-esteem long ago; now all we mess around with is the debris around it.
I read “Liberation War of 1857” as “Sepoy Mutiny.” I read on “development during the British period.” I read their glory, never ours. I never read a hero from our end who stood, fought, and spoke for us.
So if you ask me how many times I would need to be born to see “Dhaka University” not taking pride as the “Oxford of the East,” I would say I don’t know. Harvard never wanted to be the Oxford of the Far West, they wanted to build their own brand. Why are we still boot-licking, if you ask me: I don’t know.
I really don’t know what is necessary to be done for us to understand, “we are not inferior — by any measures.” But I want us to know that. I want us to believe that, and presumably “break” that.
We were never thieves, were we? But they were. Why can’t we be proud? Why can’t I be proud?
I felt dying when I saw Bad Bunny proudly ending with “My motherland! Puerto Rico.” He answered years of suppression just there.
Honestly, I am proud of my motherland! Long live my beloved Bangladesh 🇧🇩!