Sheikh Russel: A Tale of Imprisonment Before He Could Turn Seven

Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, the beloved wife of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, said angrily in the middle of 1966, “The detectives tailed the father not before he was 28, but his son was followed when he was just one and half years old.”
The context was- Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested at the late of night on May 8, 1966 under the Pakistan Defense Act.The allegation was serious- by providing six points of autonomy, he was practically trying to establish a state of Bengalis by dividing Pakistan into two. This was not the first time he got arrested.

Ajoy Dasgupta
Valiant freedom fighter and Ekushey Padak Winning Journalist
Translated by Noor - E - Alam Taimur

A Growing Russel

From the beginning of his life, Russel became accustomed to living in a political environment due to his family. In the book ‘Amader Choto Russel Shona’, Sheikh Hasina has written, “Russel was quite cautious but brave in his movements. He barely got scared of anything. He tried catching giant black ants when he saw them. One day, he caught a giant black ant, and instantly the ant bit his hand. Blood came out from his little right finger. We gave him medicine immediately. But the finger got swollen. Only after that incident did he stop chasing those ants. But he did give those ants a name. After that incident, he started calling those ants ‘Bhutto’.

The Big-Hearted Russel

‘Our mother used to wake up early at dawn. She would take Russel downstairs on her lap and feed the pigeons with her own hands. From the moment he learned to walk, Russel would run after the pigeons, feeding them with his own hands. There were pigeons in our village house as well. Everyone used to eat pigeon meat. Especially during the rainy season, when most places were submerged, there was a severe shortage of vegetables and fishes. At that time, it was often a tradition to eat pigeons. Besides, if someone got sick, they would feed pigeon meat broth to them… But Russel would not eat pigeon meat. We tried many ways to feed him pigeon meat. Every time we tried to feed him, he would turn his face away… how could he have realized at that age that he had been given pigeon meat! '

Source: Sheikh Hasina,
‘Amader Choto Russel Shona’

The Hospitable Russel

‘… after independence, a lady was hired as Russel’s teacher. Teaching his was not an easy task. The teacher had to listen to him. Every day the teacher had to eat two sweets. He would not sit to study without her eating those sweets. So, the teacher had to eat first. Moreover, he always tried to ensure that his teacher did not have any difficulty. Russel loved to entertain people.’

Source: Sheikh Hasina,
‘Amader Choto Russel Shona’

“Abba!” This Was How Russel Addressed Our Mother

‘We used to go to see our father every 15 days. If Russel was with us, he wouldn’t want to come back home. He would burst into tears. He was told that our father’s house was a prison and we only went to visit. We had to return home. Bringing him back home was not easy. We could understand the state our father went through. When he would cry at home for our father, our mother would console him. She taught him to call her ‘Abba’. Since then, Russel would call her Abba.’

Source: Sheikh Hasina,
‘Amader Choto Russel Shona’