Of Blood And Fire

The genesis of this book was the serialized version of my mother, Jahanara Imam's, diary of the events of 1971, published in the weekly magazine Sachitra Shandhani. The mood of the country during that time was in a state of apathy. As the weekly installments were published, the events and personalities in the diary touched readers in a very personal way. The children of 1971 had become teenagers and young adults in 1982 and they understood the horror of the Pakistan army's atrocities and the spirit of the Freedom Fighters' ultimate sacrifice to liberate Bangladesh. It also rekindled the spirit of the Liberation War that somehow seemed to have faded. The request to have this diary published in a book format was overwhelming. The book Ekkaturer Dinguli was published in February 1986. Ekkaturer Dinguli was an overnight success. Jahanara Imam's poignant renderings of friends' and family's brave and personal sacrifices provide a sharp, humanizing contrast to the horrors perpetrated by the Pakistan Army. Weaved within the daily happenings are stories of the freedom fighters organizing to fight and die for Bangladesh, eventually leading to the author's eldest son, Shafi Imam (Rumi), to join the urban guerrillas and making the ultimate sacrifice for his beloved Bangladesh.