Today, as the nation celebrates his birth centenary, it would behoove us all, leaders and ordinary citizens alike, to revisit his speeches, reflect on his messages, counsel and exhortations, and seek inspiration to renew ourselves afresh. To my mind, after going through a number of Bangabandhu`s numerous speeches, his speech of March 7, 1971 and of January 11, 1975 leapt out from the past, larger than life.

Anyone cannot conceive of India emerging as an independent, modern nation-state without the leadership of Gandhi, who was "Bapu" to the Indian masses; or of South Africa wresting independence from a brutalising apartheid regime without the leadership of Nelson Mandela. Neither can one imagine the birth of Bangladesh without Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (endearingly called "Bangabandhu" by his people) and his towering and inspiring leadership that enabled us to triumph in our War of Liberation. All three nations were galvanised to seek independence by a combination, in varying degrees, of the potent mixture of cultural denigration, economic discrimination and deprivation, and political disenfranchisement inflicted upon them by their oppressive colonial or neo-colonial masters. While all of these elements had pre-existed in varying stages of gestation in each of the three countries for some time, and had been fulminating in varying stages of pre-explosion, each needed a leader of towering intellectual and moral stature and all-pervasive charisma to emerge at the right time, to provide the leadership required to give fruition to the raging socio-political process of national metamorphosis.

In Bangladesh, it was unquestionably Sheikh Mujibur Rahman`s indomitable spirit, towering personality and larger-than-life charisma that transformed the Awami League party to provide the logical platform for espousing the national aspirations of the Bengalis of East Pakistan and lead the charge for final emancipation and independence. An extraordinary orator, unparalleled in our living memories, his impassioned speech on March 7, 1971 has been recognised by the UNESCO as an important part of world heritage, and rightly so—it was the inspirational spark for the birth of a nation. And so, unquestionably, Bangabandhu is truly and universally hailed as the "Jatir Janak" or "Jatir Pita", the father of the nation that emerged as Bangladesh 49 years ago.

Bangabandhu, in his final days, laid a very onerous responsibility on our collective shoulders. It should hang even more heavily on those who inherited and carry his mantle today. I cannot imagine Bangabandhu`s soul resting peacefully in his heavenly abode when he looks down upon our many transgressions, at multiple levels, all across the beloved "Shonar Bangla" that he gave his life for.