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The Colonel Who Would Not Repent
Salil Tripathi brings together the narrative skill of a novelist and the analytical tools of a political journalist to give us the story of a nation that is absorbing, haunting and illuminating.' Kamila Shamsie, author of A God in Every Stone. Between March and December 1971, the Pakistani army committed atrocities on an unprecedented scale in the country's eastern wing. Pakistani troops and their collaborators were responsible for countless deaths and cases of rape. Clearly, religion alone wasn't enough to keep Pakistan's two halves united. From that brutal violence, Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation, but the wounds have continued to fester. The gruesome assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's charismatic first prime minister and most of his family, the coups and counter-coups which followed, accompanied by long years of military rule were individually and collectively responsible for the country's inability to come to grips with the legacy of the Liberation War Four decades later, as Bangladesh tries to bring some accountability and closure to its blood-soaked past through controversial tribunals prosecuting war crimes, Salil Tripathi travels the length and breadth of the country probing the country's trauma through interviews with hundreds of Bangladeshis. His book offers the reader an unforgettable portrait of a nation whose political history since Independence has been marked more by tragedy than triumph.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2014
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392 people want to read
About the author
Salil Tripathi
9 books22 followersSalil Tripathi was born in Bombay, India. He is a contributing editor at Mint and at Caravan in India. In the UK, he was board member of English PEN from 2009 to 2013, and with novelist Kamila Shamsie, he co-chaired PEN’s Writers-at-Risk Committee. In November 2011, he won the third prize at the Bastiat Awards for Journalism about free societies, in New York. In 1994 in Hong Kong, he received one of the awards at the Citibank Pan Asia Journalism Awards for economic journalism. He was a correspondent in India from 1987 to 1990 and moved to Singapore (and later Hong Kong) from 1991 to 1999. He moved to London in 1999.
Salil has written for The Wall Street Journal, The International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New Republic, The New Yorker, The San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, and The Philadelphia Inquirer in the United States; The Guardian, The Independent, The New Statesman, The Spectator, Prospect, and Index on Censorship in the United Kingdom; Far Eastern Economic Review in Hong Kong; Global Asia in South Korea; The National in the United Arab Emirates; Shinchosha in Japan, and a few other publications. In India, he had been assistant editor at the Indian Post and senior correspondent at India Today.
He has been a senior visiting fellow for business and human rights at the Kennedy School, Harvard University, and is also an adviser to several global initiatives involving business and human rights. He studied at the New Era School in Bombay and graduated from Sydenham College at the University of Bombay. He later obtained his Masters in Business Administration from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College in the United States.
Salil has written for The Wall Street Journal, The International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New Republic, The New Yorker, The San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, and The Philadelphia Inquirer in the United States; The Guardian, The Independent, The New Statesman, The Spectator, Prospect, and Index on Censorship in the United Kingdom; Far Eastern Economic Review in Hong Kong; Global Asia in South Korea; The National in the United Arab Emirates; Shinchosha in Japan, and a few other publications. In India, he had been assistant editor at the Indian Post and senior correspondent at India Today.
He has been a senior visiting fellow for business and human rights at the Kennedy School, Harvard University, and is also an adviser to several global initiatives involving business and human rights. He studied at the New Era School in Bombay and graduated from Sydenham College at the University of Bombay. He later obtained his Masters in Business Administration from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College in the United States.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 20, 2020
I heard about this book somewhere on the internet and quickly ordered it because its title was intriguing and also because I wanted to finally read about Bangladesh beyond what we in Pakistan have grown up hearing and reading from both sides of the debate. And this book did not disappoint. The book is an excellent account of the story of Bangladesh and at least did the job for me by filling important gaps of information with granular details and stories and anecdotes, often first hand. Although, I never believed in our official version of history and had already read enough to know how unfair we as a state had been to our brothers and sisters in Bengal, the actual devil indeed lies in the detail and that's what this book does so brilliantly. It lays bare in almost minutest details the cruelties and injustices that were meted out to Pakistani Bengalis. The book is full of important first-hand accounts in terms of interviews with some of the direct victims of 1971 war, prominent figures, sons and daughters and granddaughters of major players besides being replete with interesting references to existing body of work including books, movies and documentaries and photographs.
One is always aware of the grand narratives but it is only when one digs deeper that one realises the gravity and enormity of it all. And that's when one remembers. The stories one reads in the book stays in one's mind and that's another important dimension of this work. It collects, collates and documents important chapters of history and that too from subaltern perspective for all times to come. It is a detailed well-researched book and yet it never becomes dull or dry. And that's yet another high point of the book. Salil's language is poignant and moving and even musical in parts. The book is beautifully written and the narrative has this river-like flow to it, befitting Bangladesh which is a land of more than 700 rivers. Must Read !!
One is always aware of the grand narratives but it is only when one digs deeper that one realises the gravity and enormity of it all. And that's when one remembers. The stories one reads in the book stays in one's mind and that's another important dimension of this work. It collects, collates and documents important chapters of history and that too from subaltern perspective for all times to come. It is a detailed well-researched book and yet it never becomes dull or dry. And that's yet another high point of the book. Salil's language is poignant and moving and even musical in parts. The book is beautifully written and the narrative has this river-like flow to it, befitting Bangladesh which is a land of more than 700 rivers. Must Read !!
March 31, 2020
If there is a story that will really move you to re-think a lot of your privileges, this is it. Salil Tripathi's book reads as part memoir, part investigative journalism and part redemptive narratives for a (his)-story that has been hijacked too often by political vacillations. The museums, memoirs and narratives focus mostly on one narrative: the role of the dominant Urdu and Islamic identity of the Punjabi Muslims from Pakistan vs. the Hindu-influenced culture of the Bengali Muslims from Bangladesh. Salil deftly unravels the subliminal stories of the sacrifice of women, of the subjugation of tribes in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and the systematic role of the razakars (Bangladeshi co-conspirators) in what is arguably in the bloodiest 'genocides' in world history. The book is also as conflicted in its identity as the Bangladeshi narrative is of its 'Bengali-Muslim' identity. On the one hand, it narrates heart-renching personal accounts of kidnappings in the dead of night of Hindu professors at the Dhaka University, summary executions and mass graves at Rayer Bazaar, and the wholesale massacre of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman's family (including his 11-year old son, Sheikh Russel) in his Dhanmondi residence (Dhaka) on 15th August, 1975 (32, Dhanmondi: now converted into a museum with every detail frozen in time). And on the other, there are clinical guesstimates on the number of deaths and the inconsistencies in the 'exaggerated' accounts of survivors (~3 million) to the low estimates of the Pakistani Army (~200k). For a story that is still playing out in terms of its effects on the 165mn people of a nation that is the fastest growing economy in South Asia, this book certainly should be mandatory reading lest we forget or condone!
February 10, 2022
Bangladeshi owned and run restaurants are ubiquitous in the UK; it has been said that they are collectively worth more than steel, coal and shipbuilding combined. And yet most English people are profoundly ignorant of the history and culture of Bangladesh. It was partly to address this that I read this book, which is a detailed account of the complicated and brutal events which took place in Bangladesh War of Independence of 1971, and its aftermath.
There are lots of individual narratives which helps to create a vivid and detailed picture of events, although some might feel the detail is a bit exhaustive and the style somewhat journalistic. The chapter where the author records his interviews with the victims of rape is traumatic but also leaves one with a sense of admiration for the courage and resilience of the victims and the sensitivity of the author.
Despite the detail illustrating how things were for many ordinary people, I sometimes wished for a bit more on some of the major players – there is very little about General M G Osmani, for example, who was such an interesting and unusual character that it is a pity he doesn’t really get his due. But we do get a good feel for how and why all the different factions acted as they did – and why they fell out with each other so spectacularly. A recording of a telephone conversation between the two Begums – the two powerful women who have dominated Bangladeshi politics for decades – is very revealing. Their mutual hatred and incomprehension drips from the page in a way that would be blackly comic did it not have such sad results for so many Bangladeshis, then and now.
I think this is a nuanced, fair and balanced account. It is true that on the whole Pakistan comes out worse, but the book covers atrocities committed by all sides, of which there were far too many. Pakistan admitted the deaths of 26,000 civilians, Bangladesh says 3 million died. Both figures are absurd and lack credibility, but this should not disguise the fact that there was suffering and death on a huge scale, and it involved all communities. Whenever I see the polite faces of the waiters in my local Indian restaurant, I wonder what sad tragedies of family history lie concealed behind their smiles.
There are lots of individual narratives which helps to create a vivid and detailed picture of events, although some might feel the detail is a bit exhaustive and the style somewhat journalistic. The chapter where the author records his interviews with the victims of rape is traumatic but also leaves one with a sense of admiration for the courage and resilience of the victims and the sensitivity of the author.
Despite the detail illustrating how things were for many ordinary people, I sometimes wished for a bit more on some of the major players – there is very little about General M G Osmani, for example, who was such an interesting and unusual character that it is a pity he doesn’t really get his due. But we do get a good feel for how and why all the different factions acted as they did – and why they fell out with each other so spectacularly. A recording of a telephone conversation between the two Begums – the two powerful women who have dominated Bangladeshi politics for decades – is very revealing. Their mutual hatred and incomprehension drips from the page in a way that would be blackly comic did it not have such sad results for so many Bangladeshis, then and now.
I think this is a nuanced, fair and balanced account. It is true that on the whole Pakistan comes out worse, but the book covers atrocities committed by all sides, of which there were far too many. Pakistan admitted the deaths of 26,000 civilians, Bangladesh says 3 million died. Both figures are absurd and lack credibility, but this should not disguise the fact that there was suffering and death on a huge scale, and it involved all communities. Whenever I see the polite faces of the waiters in my local Indian restaurant, I wonder what sad tragedies of family history lie concealed behind their smiles.
November 17, 2017
Merely 24 years after the British left the Indian subcontinent, dividing it into two countries identified solely by their majority faiths, both halves of Pakistan entered a bloody conflict, resulting in Bangladesh's independence.
Tripathi's nuanced, well-researched book examines the causes of this conflict - economic, cultural, political, linguistic - and its terrible human cost, a large, gaping wound that Bangladesh is still nursing.
The book begins with an overview of Bengal's culture - a primarily Muslim and agricultural East, and a well educated, Hindu cultural elite based in the West, both of whom spoke a Sanskritized language that was significantly less Persianized than Urdu, where even Muslim women wore saris, danced, and sung - and how the common faith of Islam was hardly enough to bind the two halves of Pakistan together. It then goes on to describe East-West tensions during the Raj (within Bengal) and during the Pakistan era (with West Pakistan).
When the differences could not be reconciled, economic tensions aggravated the situation. The last straw was when East Bengal's Mujibur Rahman won the elections and was denied leadership of the country.
Despite being about the war, the book zooms out and examines both its aftermath and its causes. By documenting the collapse in the post-war's state's stability, the country's healing process and its identity crisis, the book helps you appreciate the struggles Bangladeshis went through in 1971.
Tripathi's own humanistic beliefs provide a human side to the book, one that believes in the power of Bengal's millions of people.
Tripathi's nuanced, well-researched book examines the causes of this conflict - economic, cultural, political, linguistic - and its terrible human cost, a large, gaping wound that Bangladesh is still nursing.
The book begins with an overview of Bengal's culture - a primarily Muslim and agricultural East, and a well educated, Hindu cultural elite based in the West, both of whom spoke a Sanskritized language that was significantly less Persianized than Urdu, where even Muslim women wore saris, danced, and sung - and how the common faith of Islam was hardly enough to bind the two halves of Pakistan together. It then goes on to describe East-West tensions during the Raj (within Bengal) and during the Pakistan era (with West Pakistan).
When the differences could not be reconciled, economic tensions aggravated the situation. The last straw was when East Bengal's Mujibur Rahman won the elections and was denied leadership of the country.
Despite being about the war, the book zooms out and examines both its aftermath and its causes. By documenting the collapse in the post-war's state's stability, the country's healing process and its identity crisis, the book helps you appreciate the struggles Bangladeshis went through in 1971.
Tripathi's own humanistic beliefs provide a human side to the book, one that believes in the power of Bengal's millions of people.
April 29, 2015
An excellent, deeply researched, nuanced, moving and insightful primer to Bangladesh and the Liberation War that led to its creation in 1971. Of note, in particular, are Tripathi's interviews with rape survivors.
Tripathi places the events that followed 1971 and civil-military relations in the context of the war, allowing the reader to analyse and understand the politics in Bangladesh today.
This book is also a must read for people interested in the Indian subcontinent, because it provides a basis for understanding Pakistan's relationship with its provinces and how its policies and thought processes are institutionalised, as well as its relationships with India and Bangladesh. Highly recommended.
Tripathi places the events that followed 1971 and civil-military relations in the context of the war, allowing the reader to analyse and understand the politics in Bangladesh today.
This book is also a must read for people interested in the Indian subcontinent, because it provides a basis for understanding Pakistan's relationship with its provinces and how its policies and thought processes are institutionalised, as well as its relationships with India and Bangladesh. Highly recommended.
August 9, 2019
History books that have the Liberation War of Bangladesh as their central theme are fairly common, but not many books written on the theme could claim that they are so gripping that they read like fiction. So when I came across Salil Tripathi’s “The Colonel Who Would Not Repent” which had me captivated from the get-go with its moving description of events, I knew immediately that I am in for a rare treat.
As I was turning pages, I often felt that I have had glimpses of truth that went buried in the frenzy of war. Salil was particularly spot-on when he pinpointed the problems that had been festering and deepened the hostilities between the two parts of Pakistan. “The roots of the Bangladesh war of 1971 lay in this simple fact, which neither Pakistan, nor India understood fully—that Bangladeshis saw themselves as Bengali and Muslim,” he rightly said.
It’s undeniable that the seed of independence of Bangladesh was first sown in Pakistan’s national assembly when Dhirendranath Datta introduced an amendment to a discussion about the national language of Pakistan on 25 February 1948. He was the first person to speak out against conspiracy of West Pakistan to sabotage Bengali identity. In the course of history from partition of India till 1971, Pakistani rulers often strived to undermine Bengali culture because they thought it was influenced by Hindu culture. But they failed to realize that the cultural identity was as important as the religious identity for Bengali People. When Pakistan government discouraged observance of Bengali New Year or Tagore’s birth anniversary and decreased broadcasting of Tagore’s songs in state media, people began to celebrate Tagore’s birth anniversary and Bengali New Year with greater fervor and energy. All the while, it is important to note that these are the same people who opted for Pakistan in 1947 because of religion. Salil Tripathi analyzed how Pakistan government misjudged its actions and how the independence of Bangladesh was inevitable. He also showed that despite economic and political deprivation of East Pakistan, how the cultural identity became central. He gave an overview of Bengali culture and delved into what it means to be a Bengali, something that remains as true to date. I completely agree with the writer that to understand us Bengalis, “…one needs to understand the elemental hold of Bengali nationalism, where the love of the language and the culture it represents is larger than spiritual values shared with people of the same faith.”
The twists and turns of politics in Bangladesh starting off from 1905 when Lord Curzon divided the Bengal to the nation’s quest for justice through International Crimes Tribunal prosecuting war criminals are also scrutinized in the book. The writer extended his discussion about the present day Bangladesh and deliberated on dysfunctional politics, pervasive corruption, climate change vulnerability, terrorism and discriminatory behavior of the State towards Chakmas living in Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Salil Tripathi is an Indian journalist who came to Bangladesh in 1986 on an assignment from Debonair magazine. He interviewed Farooq Rahman who along with others assassinated Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members in 1975. Tripathi expressed his disbelief about how Farooq Rahman was roaming around in Dhaka openly and even contesting in national election, whilst in other countries he would have been in jail.
Being a journalist, Trapathi narrated the history of Bangladesh from an impartial point of view. He presented both sides of a story and maintained the neutrality of a reporter in the entirety of the book. For example, he probed the number of people killed in the Chuknagar massacre which is being considered by many as the largest mass killing of 1971. Professor Muntassir Mamun and noted filmmaker Tanvir Mokammel claimed that around 10,000 people were murdered in Chuknagar on May 20, 1971. However, Salil Triathi explained the frustration of social scientists and reporters who have failed to add up the number of persons being killed in the massacre. It is not feasible to gather the names of victim after forty years of the incident, he explained. Moreover, Chuknagar was transit point and most of the people who died there did not carry any identification papers.
Tripathi travelled across the country to interview people who have experienced the historical turnabouts of Bangladesh at close quarters and put together this impressive chronicle based on their narratives. As I was reading, it felt like I was a part of the historical moments that the interviewees were reminiscing of and it made me go through a mixed range of emotions. I felt miserable and enraged when I was reading the part where Birangonas were narrating how they were violated and raped in 1971. And also I was proud to have read that Bengali people always fought against injustice and never gave in. Salil’s lucid writing style definitely deserves some credit for this impact.
The Colonel Who Would Not Repent is an important addition towards my understanding about the creation of Bangladesh. However, those who are not aware of the historical events and prominent figures of Bangladesh might struggle when reading to make sense all of it. For one thing, the writer did not follow a chronological structure to describe the history of Bangladesh. On the other hand, he often jumped from one story to another with almost no connection to each other. Despite the disorganization in narrating the history, Tripathi has truly been able to encapsulate the glory, honor, horror, struggle and ups and downs of a nation called Bangladesh.
As I was turning pages, I often felt that I have had glimpses of truth that went buried in the frenzy of war. Salil was particularly spot-on when he pinpointed the problems that had been festering and deepened the hostilities between the two parts of Pakistan. “The roots of the Bangladesh war of 1971 lay in this simple fact, which neither Pakistan, nor India understood fully—that Bangladeshis saw themselves as Bengali and Muslim,” he rightly said.
It’s undeniable that the seed of independence of Bangladesh was first sown in Pakistan’s national assembly when Dhirendranath Datta introduced an amendment to a discussion about the national language of Pakistan on 25 February 1948. He was the first person to speak out against conspiracy of West Pakistan to sabotage Bengali identity. In the course of history from partition of India till 1971, Pakistani rulers often strived to undermine Bengali culture because they thought it was influenced by Hindu culture. But they failed to realize that the cultural identity was as important as the religious identity for Bengali People. When Pakistan government discouraged observance of Bengali New Year or Tagore’s birth anniversary and decreased broadcasting of Tagore’s songs in state media, people began to celebrate Tagore’s birth anniversary and Bengali New Year with greater fervor and energy. All the while, it is important to note that these are the same people who opted for Pakistan in 1947 because of religion. Salil Tripathi analyzed how Pakistan government misjudged its actions and how the independence of Bangladesh was inevitable. He also showed that despite economic and political deprivation of East Pakistan, how the cultural identity became central. He gave an overview of Bengali culture and delved into what it means to be a Bengali, something that remains as true to date. I completely agree with the writer that to understand us Bengalis, “…one needs to understand the elemental hold of Bengali nationalism, where the love of the language and the culture it represents is larger than spiritual values shared with people of the same faith.”
The twists and turns of politics in Bangladesh starting off from 1905 when Lord Curzon divided the Bengal to the nation’s quest for justice through International Crimes Tribunal prosecuting war criminals are also scrutinized in the book. The writer extended his discussion about the present day Bangladesh and deliberated on dysfunctional politics, pervasive corruption, climate change vulnerability, terrorism and discriminatory behavior of the State towards Chakmas living in Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Salil Tripathi is an Indian journalist who came to Bangladesh in 1986 on an assignment from Debonair magazine. He interviewed Farooq Rahman who along with others assassinated Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members in 1975. Tripathi expressed his disbelief about how Farooq Rahman was roaming around in Dhaka openly and even contesting in national election, whilst in other countries he would have been in jail.
Being a journalist, Trapathi narrated the history of Bangladesh from an impartial point of view. He presented both sides of a story and maintained the neutrality of a reporter in the entirety of the book. For example, he probed the number of people killed in the Chuknagar massacre which is being considered by many as the largest mass killing of 1971. Professor Muntassir Mamun and noted filmmaker Tanvir Mokammel claimed that around 10,000 people were murdered in Chuknagar on May 20, 1971. However, Salil Triathi explained the frustration of social scientists and reporters who have failed to add up the number of persons being killed in the massacre. It is not feasible to gather the names of victim after forty years of the incident, he explained. Moreover, Chuknagar was transit point and most of the people who died there did not carry any identification papers.
Tripathi travelled across the country to interview people who have experienced the historical turnabouts of Bangladesh at close quarters and put together this impressive chronicle based on their narratives. As I was reading, it felt like I was a part of the historical moments that the interviewees were reminiscing of and it made me go through a mixed range of emotions. I felt miserable and enraged when I was reading the part where Birangonas were narrating how they were violated and raped in 1971. And also I was proud to have read that Bengali people always fought against injustice and never gave in. Salil’s lucid writing style definitely deserves some credit for this impact.
The Colonel Who Would Not Repent is an important addition towards my understanding about the creation of Bangladesh. However, those who are not aware of the historical events and prominent figures of Bangladesh might struggle when reading to make sense all of it. For one thing, the writer did not follow a chronological structure to describe the history of Bangladesh. On the other hand, he often jumped from one story to another with almost no connection to each other. Despite the disorganization in narrating the history, Tripathi has truly been able to encapsulate the glory, honor, horror, struggle and ups and downs of a nation called Bangladesh.
January 3, 2016
Salil Tripathi writes extensively in the international press. You can see his articles / features in Guardian, Wall Street Journal etc., He writes well….detailed without getting to be boring.
Bangladesh does not figure in our narrative as much as Pakistan does. The only time Bangladesh comes into the collective consciousness in India is when some stray story pops up about floods, buildings collapsing and a 100 workers dying in a galley-slave garment workshop or if there is a coup. Mostly negative. The only positive news that we hear is about their brave heart cricket team when they punch above their weight in most international tournaments.
This is my second book on Bangladesh in the last three years. The last one was ‘The Blood Telegram’ by Gary Bass which was an account of the mayhem unleashed by Pakistan post the doomed elections ( for PPP) where Sheikh Mujib wins an overwhelming majority. The Blood Telegram focused more on the whys of the Pakistani genocide and the support offered by US for reasons of their own.
This book is more comprehensive. It starts with the partition of India, the difficult life for Bangladesh aligned to a nation on religion but having its own Bengali identity, the elections and the problems thereof with the Awami League winning an overwhelming majority (and they could have formed the government for the unified Pakistan), the ruthless of the Pakistani actions which started in March 25, 1975, the genocide, India’s involvement culminating in a war, the independence, the assassination of its founder-leader, the mayhem in terms of continued assassinations and the multiple coups, military rule and 40 years later where they are currently with a semblance of a democratic government and hopefully some stability.
The chequered history of this poor nation caught between its Bengali identity (and all that goes with it like Rabindra Sangeet, Culture, Bong literature and Poetry) and it being a neglected part of a country which was turning Islamic is very well captured. It also raises the important question as to what binds a nation. Is it Religion (as Jinnah and company thought) or is a shared identity, culture and heritage (as we believe in). Very interesting analysis of this rather obvious question and also the obvious answer.
What started as a Secular democratic nation and its morphing into an Islamic state (by politicians and dictators for their own survival) is dealt in great detail and also in a very scholarly way.
The coups after the coups and the mindless assassinations – It was Colonel Farooq who is responsible for the decimation of Sheikh Mujib and his family, then the interlopers who came in and then the emergence of Zia Ur Rehman – and later his assassination – some more Johny come latelies in between like Ershad, the emergence of the Widow – Khaleda Zia and the prodigal daughter…Sheikh Hasina (she was abroad in 1975 and thus she survived)…and their battles with the troubled political inheritance makes up the rest of the book. What brings a story which is 40 years old to life is the on the ground interviews with the politicians, the aggressors and the aggrieved. The narrative on the women (they seem to be getting the worst end in all the wars from Mahabharatha times) makes you cringe.
This book has the zip of a political journalist and also has the depth that one associates with scholarly writers. Some of the chapters are heart wrenching and not recommended for the weak hearted.
Very very comprehensive…eminently readable…fast paced…..and tells you the story of a neighbor of ours… a young nation ( < 50 years old), its struggles against nature ( floods every year) and a bunch of politicians/ dictators who are self-serving….and the slow journey which is taking them on a one way route to be a poorer cousin of Pakistan ( which they do not want to be) instead of a poor cousin of India….this is the irony which is so dramatically captured….and makes it a book worth reading
Bangladesh does not figure in our narrative as much as Pakistan does. The only time Bangladesh comes into the collective consciousness in India is when some stray story pops up about floods, buildings collapsing and a 100 workers dying in a galley-slave garment workshop or if there is a coup. Mostly negative. The only positive news that we hear is about their brave heart cricket team when they punch above their weight in most international tournaments.
This is my second book on Bangladesh in the last three years. The last one was ‘The Blood Telegram’ by Gary Bass which was an account of the mayhem unleashed by Pakistan post the doomed elections ( for PPP) where Sheikh Mujib wins an overwhelming majority. The Blood Telegram focused more on the whys of the Pakistani genocide and the support offered by US for reasons of their own.
This book is more comprehensive. It starts with the partition of India, the difficult life for Bangladesh aligned to a nation on religion but having its own Bengali identity, the elections and the problems thereof with the Awami League winning an overwhelming majority (and they could have formed the government for the unified Pakistan), the ruthless of the Pakistani actions which started in March 25, 1975, the genocide, India’s involvement culminating in a war, the independence, the assassination of its founder-leader, the mayhem in terms of continued assassinations and the multiple coups, military rule and 40 years later where they are currently with a semblance of a democratic government and hopefully some stability.
The chequered history of this poor nation caught between its Bengali identity (and all that goes with it like Rabindra Sangeet, Culture, Bong literature and Poetry) and it being a neglected part of a country which was turning Islamic is very well captured. It also raises the important question as to what binds a nation. Is it Religion (as Jinnah and company thought) or is a shared identity, culture and heritage (as we believe in). Very interesting analysis of this rather obvious question and also the obvious answer.
What started as a Secular democratic nation and its morphing into an Islamic state (by politicians and dictators for their own survival) is dealt in great detail and also in a very scholarly way.
The coups after the coups and the mindless assassinations – It was Colonel Farooq who is responsible for the decimation of Sheikh Mujib and his family, then the interlopers who came in and then the emergence of Zia Ur Rehman – and later his assassination – some more Johny come latelies in between like Ershad, the emergence of the Widow – Khaleda Zia and the prodigal daughter…Sheikh Hasina (she was abroad in 1975 and thus she survived)…and their battles with the troubled political inheritance makes up the rest of the book. What brings a story which is 40 years old to life is the on the ground interviews with the politicians, the aggressors and the aggrieved. The narrative on the women (they seem to be getting the worst end in all the wars from Mahabharatha times) makes you cringe.
This book has the zip of a political journalist and also has the depth that one associates with scholarly writers. Some of the chapters are heart wrenching and not recommended for the weak hearted.
Very very comprehensive…eminently readable…fast paced…..and tells you the story of a neighbor of ours… a young nation ( < 50 years old), its struggles against nature ( floods every year) and a bunch of politicians/ dictators who are self-serving….and the slow journey which is taking them on a one way route to be a poorer cousin of Pakistan ( which they do not want to be) instead of a poor cousin of India….this is the irony which is so dramatically captured….and makes it a book worth reading
October 16, 2016
This book stands out because it not only deals with the birth of Bangladesh, the 1971 war and the dismemberment of Pakistan, but also because it goes a great length to define the Bengali identity, the historical past of the Bengali people and the human cost that they are paying till date because of the atrocities that happened during, before and after the war. The chapter on Birangonas was bone-chilling and the author has to be given credit for going to such great depths on such a touchy topic. The same applies to how the author deftly portrays the current fate of the remaining Biharis in Bangladesh, the fate of children born out of rape perpetrated by Pakistani soldiers and the excruciating details of Mujibur Rahman's assassination. Salil Tripathi's book can be instrumental in helping current and future generation of Bengalis; irrespective of religion,nationality and political persuasion; to understand one of the most tragic episodes of their people.
August 20, 2015
A fine balance of the broad sweep of the history of Bangladeshi independence with the detail of individual experiences, especially the harrowing stories of 'birangonas', the women raped during the war for independence. Marred only by a few too many editorial errors.
May 19, 2018
Wow What a well researched and well written book. Salil Tripathi documents the history of Bengal from the partitioning of Bengal to rise of Sheikh Mujib, the birth of Bangladesh, the intervening years of the military rule, the rise of Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina. In the meticulously researched book with testimonies from some key figures and participants in the history of Bangladesh, the author documents the painful history and the loss of hope just after the nation is born and the search for it's identity not unlike that of Pakistan (west Pakistan). It also narrates the travails of the victims of the civil war and the loss of idealism and the victimization of Biharis - Urdu speaking people from India who crossed over from India to Bangladesh (when it was east Pakistan) after 1947.
The narrative is gripping with several first person narratives of people who make up Bangladesh including people from Chittagong Hill tracts (Chakmas) and several relatives of the pople who shaped Bangladesh's history. The book does a good job of capturing the confusion of Bangladeshis if they are Bengali first or Muslim First and the rise of Islamism due to vested political interests and economic conditions (due to migration and return of Bangladeshis from the Middle East). The book ends on conciliatory note drawing parallels of the Bangladesh tribunal with those of end of the South African apartheid.
The narrative is gripping with several first person narratives of people who make up Bangladesh including people from Chittagong Hill tracts (Chakmas) and several relatives of the pople who shaped Bangladesh's history. The book does a good job of capturing the confusion of Bangladeshis if they are Bengali first or Muslim First and the rise of Islamism due to vested political interests and economic conditions (due to migration and return of Bangladeshis from the Middle East). The book ends on conciliatory note drawing parallels of the Bangladesh tribunal with those of end of the South African apartheid.
May 10, 2020
This is the first book that I’ve read on the Bangladesh Liberation War, so I can not compare it to other literature on the topic. It was extremely informative, giving a comprehensive account of both the war itself and the discourse of Bangladeshi politics from the 70s-00s, as well as the impact that this had on minority communities in Bangladesh. I’d say it’s written in more of a journalistic style of writing, which was quite interesting, although at some points in the first two chapters there was alight repetition. But the rest of the book was clearly structured and flowed easily. The author also isn’t shy of giving explicit descriptions and explanations of violence/killings/rape, but at the same time acknowledges the violence committed by all groups in the conflict. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone interested in reading an unbiased account of the Liberation War. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
April 22, 2021
As a Bangladeshi, you’re always a bit apprehensive
about picking up a book on the history of your country, simply because you’re well aware of how difficult it can be to separate the fact from the narratives that different quarters are pushing (usually about who deserves the most “credit” for helping Bangladesh to independence). Tripathi deserves full credit for explaining these different biases from the beginning in what is an immensely readable history of Bangladesh’s political upheavals, with a deeper focus on the War of 1971, although this is by no means a comprehensive and complete history of the country. Would recommend it for readers who have very little knowledge on the history of Bangladesh. For people who are already based in this region and aware of its history and sociopolitical contexts, this version might seem a bit shallow, but it’s definitely a good place to start.
about picking up a book on the history of your country, simply because you’re well aware of how difficult it can be to separate the fact from the narratives that different quarters are pushing (usually about who deserves the most “credit” for helping Bangladesh to independence). Tripathi deserves full credit for explaining these different biases from the beginning in what is an immensely readable history of Bangladesh’s political upheavals, with a deeper focus on the War of 1971, although this is by no means a comprehensive and complete history of the country. Would recommend it for readers who have very little knowledge on the history of Bangladesh. For people who are already based in this region and aware of its history and sociopolitical contexts, this version might seem a bit shallow, but it’s definitely a good place to start.
January 17, 2021
The first chapter is great -- it seemed like the book was aiming for a history of Bangladesh with the eponymous colonel who murdered the first premier of Bangladesh (Sheikh Mujib Rahman). It starts off with an interview with him, a brief history, including his lack of repentance. The issue was a political football for a long time so it seemed the perfect case study for a larger narrative about Bangladesh.
No such luck. The book does an admirable and important job documenting the death that occurred in the 1971 war. But, the colonel doesn't make a reappearance until the end -- why even title the book as about him? Further, there is a lot of unnecessary detail in the vignettes (what normal activities people did the day they experienced violence). Just awkward storytelling all around.
No such luck. The book does an admirable and important job documenting the death that occurred in the 1971 war. But, the colonel doesn't make a reappearance until the end -- why even title the book as about him? Further, there is a lot of unnecessary detail in the vignettes (what normal activities people did the day they experienced violence). Just awkward storytelling all around.
May 20, 2020
A harrowing account of the events leading up to and in the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. The brutalities unleashed by the Pakistani forces is shocking, eerily similar to the Pol Pot regime's reign of terror in Cambodia. That is only confounded by the fact that 40 years later, only a few have been punished for their crimes against humanity but many other perpetrators have escaped.
February 13, 2018
The separation of East Pakistan remains a dark chapter in history of Pakistan. Salil Tripathi’s book provided a much-needed narrative to the events and one gets to see the conflict through Bengali eyes. It is a must-read for introduction to Pakistani History.
February 1, 2020
One of the better books I've read about the founding of Bangladesh and its subsequent, other heartbreaking, history.
April 26, 2015
THE COLONEL WHO WOULD NOT REPENT – The Bangladesh war and its unquiet legacy – Salil Tripathi
Salil Tripathi writes extensively in the international press. You can see his articles / features in Guardian, Wall Street Journal etc., He writes well….detailed without getting to be boring.
Bangladesh does not figure in our narrative as much as Pakistan does. The only time Bangladesh comes into the collective consciousness in India is when some stray story pops up about floods, buildings collapsing and a 100 workers dying in a galley-slave garment workshop or if there is a coup. Mostly negative. The only thing positive that we hear is about their brave heart cricket team when they punch above their weight in most international tournaments.
This is my second book on Bangladesh in the last three years. The last one was ‘The Blood Telegram’ by Gary Bass which was an account of the mayhem unleashed by Pakistan post the doomed elections ( for PPP) where Sheikh Mujib wins an overwhelming majority. The Blood Telegram focused more on the whys of the Pakistani genocide and the support offered by US for reasons of their own.
This book is more comprehensive. It starts with the partition of India, the difficult life for Bangladesh aligned to a nation on religion but having its own Bengali identity, the elections and the problems thereof with the Awami League winning an overwhelming majority ( and they could have formed the government for the unified Pakistan), the ruthless of the Pakistani actions which started in March 25, 1975, the genocide, India’s involvement culminating in a war, the independence, the assassination if its founder-leader, the mayhem in terms of continued assassinations and the multiple coups, military rule and 40 years later where they are currently with a semblance of a democratic government and hopefully some stability.
The chequered history of this poor nation caught between its Bengali identity ( and all that goes with it like Rabindra Sangeet, Culture, Bong literature and Poetry) and it being a neglected part of a country which was turning Islamic is very well captured. It also raises the important question as to what binds a nation. Is it Religion ( as Jinnah and company thought ) or is a shared identity, culture and heritage ( as we believe in). Very interesting analysis of this rather obvious question and also the obvious answer.
What started as a Secular democratic nation and its morphing into an Islamic state ( by politicians and dictators for their own survival) is dealt in great detail and also in a very scholarly way.
The coups after the coups and the mindless assassinations – It was Colonel Farooq who is responsible for the decimation of Sheikh Mujib and his family, then the interlopers who came in and then the emergence of Zia Ur Rehman – and later his assassination – some more Johny come latelies in between like Ershad, the emergence of the Widow – Khaleda Zia and the prodigal daughter…Sheikh Hasina ( she was abroad in 1975 and thus she survived)…and their battles with the troubled political inheritance makes up the rest of the book. What brings a story which is 40 years old to life is the on the ground interviews with the politicians, the aggressors and the aggrieved. The narrative on the women (they seem to be getting the worst end in all the wars from Mahabharatha times) makes you cringe.
This book has the zip of a political journalist and also has the depth that one associates with scholarly writers. Some of the chapters are heart wrenching and not recommended for the weak hearted.
Very very comprehensive…eminently readable…fast paced…..and tells you the story of a neighbor of hours… a young nation ( < 50 years old), its struggles against nature ( floods every year) and a bunch of politicians/ dictators who are self-serving….and the slow journey which is taking them on a one way route to be a poor cousin of Pakistan ( which they do not want to be) instead of a poor cousin of India….this is the irony which is so dramatically captured….and makes it a book worth reading.
My reading: 4.5/5.
Salil Tripathi writes extensively in the international press. You can see his articles / features in Guardian, Wall Street Journal etc., He writes well….detailed without getting to be boring.
Bangladesh does not figure in our narrative as much as Pakistan does. The only time Bangladesh comes into the collective consciousness in India is when some stray story pops up about floods, buildings collapsing and a 100 workers dying in a galley-slave garment workshop or if there is a coup. Mostly negative. The only thing positive that we hear is about their brave heart cricket team when they punch above their weight in most international tournaments.
This is my second book on Bangladesh in the last three years. The last one was ‘The Blood Telegram’ by Gary Bass which was an account of the mayhem unleashed by Pakistan post the doomed elections ( for PPP) where Sheikh Mujib wins an overwhelming majority. The Blood Telegram focused more on the whys of the Pakistani genocide and the support offered by US for reasons of their own.
This book is more comprehensive. It starts with the partition of India, the difficult life for Bangladesh aligned to a nation on religion but having its own Bengali identity, the elections and the problems thereof with the Awami League winning an overwhelming majority ( and they could have formed the government for the unified Pakistan), the ruthless of the Pakistani actions which started in March 25, 1975, the genocide, India’s involvement culminating in a war, the independence, the assassination if its founder-leader, the mayhem in terms of continued assassinations and the multiple coups, military rule and 40 years later where they are currently with a semblance of a democratic government and hopefully some stability.
The chequered history of this poor nation caught between its Bengali identity ( and all that goes with it like Rabindra Sangeet, Culture, Bong literature and Poetry) and it being a neglected part of a country which was turning Islamic is very well captured. It also raises the important question as to what binds a nation. Is it Religion ( as Jinnah and company thought ) or is a shared identity, culture and heritage ( as we believe in). Very interesting analysis of this rather obvious question and also the obvious answer.
What started as a Secular democratic nation and its morphing into an Islamic state ( by politicians and dictators for their own survival) is dealt in great detail and also in a very scholarly way.
The coups after the coups and the mindless assassinations – It was Colonel Farooq who is responsible for the decimation of Sheikh Mujib and his family, then the interlopers who came in and then the emergence of Zia Ur Rehman – and later his assassination – some more Johny come latelies in between like Ershad, the emergence of the Widow – Khaleda Zia and the prodigal daughter…Sheikh Hasina ( she was abroad in 1975 and thus she survived)…and their battles with the troubled political inheritance makes up the rest of the book. What brings a story which is 40 years old to life is the on the ground interviews with the politicians, the aggressors and the aggrieved. The narrative on the women (they seem to be getting the worst end in all the wars from Mahabharatha times) makes you cringe.
This book has the zip of a political journalist and also has the depth that one associates with scholarly writers. Some of the chapters are heart wrenching and not recommended for the weak hearted.
Very very comprehensive…eminently readable…fast paced…..and tells you the story of a neighbor of hours… a young nation ( < 50 years old), its struggles against nature ( floods every year) and a bunch of politicians/ dictators who are self-serving….and the slow journey which is taking them on a one way route to be a poor cousin of Pakistan ( which they do not want to be) instead of a poor cousin of India….this is the irony which is so dramatically captured….and makes it a book worth reading.
My reading: 4.5/5.
September 26, 2024
People from one political landscape interviewed in most cases. Not an in-depth or novel exegesis of the situation.
August 30, 2016
I have grown up listening about how Indira Gandhi was once worshiped as Goddess in parts of Bangladesh and Bengal from my mother. I have always been intrigued by looking at the relations between India and Bangladesh today and wondered how a country who was created by the help of India could be so hostile to it and have so much mistrust. This was the reason i decided to pick up this book and bravo! does this book fill the gaps so perfectly.
Salil has researched a lot and has made a conscious effort to ensure the frenzy of a war torn nation to exaggerate facts and casualties does not influence the general tone of the book and the intent to provide an overall aspect of what has become of East Bengal , of its aspiration of Bengali Nationalism and why so? How it has become a slightly better image of an Islamic state which Pakistan wanted to be and a broken dream of the Bengal it wanted to become.
The book captures different events and aspects of Bengal History - the facts, the atrocities , the anecdotes - at the same time the reasons for it to forget the same , the thought process to forget its own past , to falsify the historical facts and present a modified version of it to its youth - the majority of Bangladesh as with India has born into an independent country - to take the country to a path that was so different from why the country was born.
This is a very well written book and highly recommended to understand one of the very important country of south Asia. The different facets of Bangladesh's history present different impression of the society - the grit and the nationalism that allowed it to make Pakistan withdraw its inhumane and barbaric army, the same masses who delve into corruption once the country was liberated , the issue with the Bironganas or the Brave Ones, the confused ideology by the leaders to neglect everything and move towards an islamic state. It also paints the very barbaric and genocidal face of the Pakistan army - selective massacres to erase a certain community , the heinous racism and the disgust with which West Pakistan looked upon East Pakistan.
The world's lack of empathy for the cause of Bangladesh and the human right's violation is also alarming . Sample this - an election is held, a party wins majority , its leader is put into jail , a military supported government is established and a military crackdown happens to kill all intellectuals and political leaders of east pakistan and no one bats an eyelid.
This also explains in depth how the thinking among the masses changed . How from fighting for an independent identity of Bengali and Muslim , it changed to only a Muslim identity. The surge of islamic fundamentalism and how it has been supported by political class for their own mileage . For an Indian, how from the liberators , India became the hateful nation is a very surprising notion that is well presented in the book. To the credit of Indira Gandhi , her role and her decision to ensure Indian Army pulls out before it gets hated is well noted and the author rightly points out, this is a feat which after 40 years even US has not been able to achieve.
Highly recommended if you want to understand the politics of 70's with respect to south asia, the reasons for creation for Bangladesh and what a tremendous feat it was for Mujib,Bangladesh and noble support of India.
Salil has researched a lot and has made a conscious effort to ensure the frenzy of a war torn nation to exaggerate facts and casualties does not influence the general tone of the book and the intent to provide an overall aspect of what has become of East Bengal , of its aspiration of Bengali Nationalism and why so? How it has become a slightly better image of an Islamic state which Pakistan wanted to be and a broken dream of the Bengal it wanted to become.
The book captures different events and aspects of Bengal History - the facts, the atrocities , the anecdotes - at the same time the reasons for it to forget the same , the thought process to forget its own past , to falsify the historical facts and present a modified version of it to its youth - the majority of Bangladesh as with India has born into an independent country - to take the country to a path that was so different from why the country was born.
This is a very well written book and highly recommended to understand one of the very important country of south Asia. The different facets of Bangladesh's history present different impression of the society - the grit and the nationalism that allowed it to make Pakistan withdraw its inhumane and barbaric army, the same masses who delve into corruption once the country was liberated , the issue with the Bironganas or the Brave Ones, the confused ideology by the leaders to neglect everything and move towards an islamic state. It also paints the very barbaric and genocidal face of the Pakistan army - selective massacres to erase a certain community , the heinous racism and the disgust with which West Pakistan looked upon East Pakistan.
The world's lack of empathy for the cause of Bangladesh and the human right's violation is also alarming . Sample this - an election is held, a party wins majority , its leader is put into jail , a military supported government is established and a military crackdown happens to kill all intellectuals and political leaders of east pakistan and no one bats an eyelid.
This also explains in depth how the thinking among the masses changed . How from fighting for an independent identity of Bengali and Muslim , it changed to only a Muslim identity. The surge of islamic fundamentalism and how it has been supported by political class for their own mileage . For an Indian, how from the liberators , India became the hateful nation is a very surprising notion that is well presented in the book. To the credit of Indira Gandhi , her role and her decision to ensure Indian Army pulls out before it gets hated is well noted and the author rightly points out, this is a feat which after 40 years even US has not been able to achieve.
Highly recommended if you want to understand the politics of 70's with respect to south asia, the reasons for creation for Bangladesh and what a tremendous feat it was for Mujib,Bangladesh and noble support of India.
July 4, 2016
An accessible history of modern Bangladesh, anchored primarily by the oral histories of the author’s interview subjects and a survey of existing literature and primary sources. The 1971 war of independence from Pakistan and the chaotic succession of coups, counter-coups, and assassinations that followed the war comprise the bulk of the book, with the coda chapter focusing on the Sheikh Hasina government’s creation of a war crimes tribunal to prosecute those who had fought against separation. Unresolved questions of reconciliation, retribution, and recompense are at the heart of the narrative. The book has its gaps — it is quite detailed on some episodes, but shallower in other areas — but has been useful as an introductory history to the country and the divisions that persist today.
July 12, 2015
Well researched book. Tripathi writes like a true journalist-- collecting stories from across Bangladesh; talking to experts, activists, journalists and academics in Bangladesh and abroad-- to produce one very potent account of the Liberation War and its impact on Bangladeshi politics today, without getting lost in deep analysis. The book drags sometimes in the middle, and one does wish there was more than the passing mention of the cruelty and the excesses of liberation militias.
Still, a must read for all Pakistanis.
Still, a must read for all Pakistanis.
April 25, 2015
This book should be mandatory reading for anyone who wants to learn more about the South-Asian region's fractured history. Tripathi poses interesting questions about the dichotomy between being a Bengali or being a Muslim - and whether such a divide should exist at all. It forces us to do some serious introspection about retribution and forgiveness... all in an accessible prose that made the book read like a novel. But it's all real - disturbing and horrifying.
October 23, 2021
A must read for those interested in the turbulent and violent birth of Bangladesh, and the tragedy, trauma and pain that accompanied it. Some of the chapters make for difficult reading, especially the catastrophic consequences to women and minorities. As I read this, Bangladesh is going through attacks on minorities, but thankfully, there have been massive public protests and government actions to safeguard peace and human rights for all their citizens, regardless of religion.
April 19, 2015
Review to follow.
January 26, 2015
Here's a quick review I wrote: http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2015/01/c...
June 22, 2015
Author tries very hard to prove everything is Pakistan's fault.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews