BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

BANGABANDHU SHEIKH MUJIB’S PHILOSOPHY OF FRIEND OF ‘HAVE-NOTS’: AN ANALYSIS

Author: Md Rafiqul Islam

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2024v45n2a1

ABSTRACT

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the father of the Bengali nation who sacrificed his entire life for the greater cause of the Bengali people. Not only had he sacrificed his life for the emancipation and freedom of the Bengali nation but he also worked for the oppressed people across the world. That is why, he is widely recognised as the friend of the toiling masses. This article is an attempt to explore his contribution to the poor and needy people in his country and beyond. The existing literature, his speeches and his own books– The Unfinished Memoirs, Prison Diaries, New China I Saw –have given insight to explore how Bangabandhu contributed to the poor and needy people from his early life to his assassination. He dedicated his efforts and commitments towards his friends, neighbours, countrymen and above all to the oppressed people across the world. For his outstanding characteristics and qualities, Bangabandhu is called the friend of the ‘have-nots’. This article has the implications of making known his outstanding contribution to the oppressed people. Very few literature have highlighted this inner quality of Bangabandhu in an article format which is almost missing. Thus, this article has significance in academia to inform the readers and new generations about the outstanding contribution of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the field of helping poor and oppressed people. This article also bears significance as it connects the philosophy of Bangabandhu with the present context at home and abroad to inform the readers that his philosophy of ‘have-nots’ is widely ignored in the present day.