Lesson: They Had Dreams 2

A. Picture Discussion (Picture not provided)

Look at the picture. He is a great son of our country.

1. Who is he?
2. What do you know about him?

(Note: Please refer to the picture provided with your original lesson materials.)

B. Reading

Zahir Raihan: A Voice for Freedom

Zahir Raihan was one of the most talented filmmakers in Bangladesh. He was born on August 19, 1935, in the village of Majupur in Feni district. He was an active worker in the Language Movement and one of the ten students who marched in a procession on February 21, 1952, despite a ban on such activities by the authorities. As a result, he and many others were arrested and imprisoned. Raihan was also present at the historic meeting at Amtala on February 21, 1952. He also participated in the mass movement of 1969. In 1971, he joined the Liberation War.

(Picture: Zahir Raihan)

Throughout his life, Zahir Raihan dreamt of a democratic society—a society that would ensure freedom of speech. He also had many dreams for the Bangladeshi film industry. He made the legendary film Jibon Theke Neya based on the Language Movement of 1952. It was a protest against the autocratic government ruling the country at the time. The family portrayed in the film symbolically represented East Pakistan. The family was ruled by an autocrat who was ultimately imprisoned for her conspiracies. During the Liberation War in 1971, this film was shown outside Bangladesh, and celebrated filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Ritwik Ghatak praised it. Raihan donated all the money the film made to the Freedom Fighters' trust. Additionally, his powerful documentary on Pakistani atrocities, Stop Genocide, helped create global support for our liberation war.

On December 30, 1971, someone informed Raihan about an address somewhere in Mirpur where he might find his brother, the famous writer Shahidullah Kaiser, who had gone missing on December 14, 1971. Kaiser was captured and killed by the Pakistani army and their local collaborators during the last days of the war. Raihan left home to find his brother but never returned.

Zahir Raihan’s dream was fulfilled. He witnessed the emergence of an independent Bangladesh, though he never found his brother. It is a tragedy that this dreamer did not live to see his dream fully realized.

C. Grid Completion

Complete the grid using appropriate information from the text:

| Zahir Raihan | Information | |--------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Participated in | | | Famous as | | | Best documentary | | | Movie based on language movement | | | Missing since | | | His dream | |

D. Sentence Completion

Read the following sentences and complete them using information from the text:

1. Zahir Raihan is famous as ______.
2. Raihan was imprisoned because ______.
3. He participated in ______ and ______.
4. Jibon Theke Neya symbolizes ______.
5. He donated ______.
6. He worked to mobilize ______ through his powerful documentary, Stop Genocide.
7. His disappearance is a great ______.

E. Discussion

Work in pairs. Discuss:

1. Why is Zahir Raihan considered a freedom fighter, even though he was a filmmaker?
2. How does the title of the lesson, “They Had Dreams,” connect to the story of Zahir Raihan?

F. Project

Work in groups. Interview a freedom fighter in your locality and write a paragraph about them.