RANGPUR Correspondent: Gallantry award winning freedom fighter Taraman Bibi, Bir Pratik, said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has done the maximum for freedom fighters through ensuring their welfare, and especially for her.

In an exclusive interview, around month before her death on December 1, 2018, an ailing Taramon said, Sheikh Hasina showed deep respect to freedom fighters who fought for independence risking own lives.

Tuesday is the second death anniversary of Taramon Bibi. Her only son Abu Taher and only daughter Majeda Khatun today bserved the death anniversary of Taramon at her home in Shankar Madhobpur village of Rajibpur upazila in Kurigram.

“We arranged a milad followed by doa mahfil today,” Taher told BSS

this evening over cell phone, adding that they also fed some 20 poorer

people.

“Our father Abdul Mazid died on August 17 last this year and we

buried him beside my mother’s grave in our village home,” Taher added.

In that exclusive interview, Taramon said, “I always feel warmth of

love, affection and touch of Sheikh Hasina when she embraced me on

several occasions and enquired my whereabouts.”

Despite suffering from chronic diseases a couple of months back, an

ailing Taramon said, “I felt everything pleasant in my heart when

Sheikh Hasina embraced me as an elder sister and daughter of Father of

the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.”

“At this last stage of my life, I am very happy and fully satisfied

as the government has employed my only son Abu Taher at Rajibpur

Upazila Heath Complex and only son-in-law Rafikul Islam at Sherpur

Public Works Division,” she added.

Recalling her memories, Taramon, a legendary freedom fighter of the

Great War of Liberation, said, she was living in Shankar Madhobpur

village during the War of Liberation in 1971 with her poor widow

mother as her father died long ago.

She took part in the War of Liberation soon at the call of

Bangabandhu in Sector No-11 under the command of Colonel Abu Taher

after being inspired by Habilder Muhib at Char Rajibpur Muktijoddha

Camp.

“I first started cooking for the freedom fighters at the camp—–

soon began spying to gather information of the occupation forces.

Subsequently, I took part in the battles after getting arms training

from Habilder Muhib,” Taramon said.

“After independence, I returned my village Sankar Madhobpur. I got

married to Abdul Mazid in 1974— subsequently, I gave birth to our

son Abu Taher and daughter Majeda Khatun,” Taramon was recalling

memories.

Taramon had to live amid miseries due to abject poverty and worked

as a farm-labourer or day-labourer for many years with her husband to

feed their two children.

“I did not know that the then government of Bangabandhu awarded me

in 1973 with the gallantry title ‘Bir Pratik’ in recognition of my

courage and heroism during the War of Liberation,” Taramon said.

She expressed gratitude to liberation war researcher Bimal Kanti of

Mymensingh for discovering her in 1995 when she got the ‘Bir Pratik’

award with Taka 25,000 on December 19, 1995 from the then government.

“I still remember the unforgettable moment of meeting Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina for the first time and receiving Taka 15,000

from her fund in 1996,” Taramon said.

“The subsequent governments fixed Taka 2,000 in 2002 and Taka 3,000

in 2007 as monthly allowances for me,” she said.

“After assuming power again in 2009, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

entirely changed my destiny and life by raising my monthly allowance

to Taka 15,000—- arranged free medical treatments for me at the

Combined Military Hospitals,” Taramon narrated.

“Besides, I get 30 kilogram rice, 25 kilogram wheat, four kilogram

sugar, eight kilogram lentil and eight kilogram edible oil at Taka 120

every month under the rationing programme from Kurigram police

administration,” she said.

“Sheikh Hasina built a house for me in KurigramTownship and handed

it over to me in 2009 with one acre of land so that I could easily

avail physician in Kurigram hospital for my treatment,” she said.

Taramon said, “My health condition deteriorates rapidly now. I do

not know when Almighty Allah takes me back,” she said, and thanked

Sheikh Hasina for making all possible arrangements for her medical

treatments.

“If I die, please call upon Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on my

behalf, to pray for eternal peace of my soul,” she desired only about

a month before she died.

Taramon then said she always prayed for eternal peace for the

departed soul of Bangabandhu and long life and sound health of Sheikh

Hasina to lead the nation and build a ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by Bangabandhu.