Pijush Bandyopadhaya has treaded into all media, including theatre, television, films and radio and has seized success at every step. An acclaimed cultural activist, Pijush is one of the founder members of Dhaka Theatre. The actor also proved his valour by actively participating in the Liberation War.
Recently, the seasoned artiste spent some time at the DS Café answering our readers' questions. Here are excerpts from the telephonic conversation:
Monirul, Rajbari: Where did you grow up? What led you to acting?
Pijush: I spent most of my adolescent years at my ancestral village in Faridpur. My path to acting was paved by my performances in plays when I was a student of Dhaka University. Through those university plays I got a chance to appear on TV.
Sagar Chowdhury, Sylhet: Which is your favourite play?
Pijush: This is very hard to decide. Whatever work I'm doing is my favourite at that time.
Rajani, Narayanganj: You've done several plays on the Liberation War. Which moved you the most? Will we get to see you on any special Independence Day feature this year?
Pijush: If I have to pick, it would be a play that I did in 1973 on the occasion of Victory Day. The play, based on an international classic, was titled "Bishwasghatok-er Ma".
I have worked in several plays for March 26 this year, but am not sure which channels will air them and in what time slot.
The Daily Star (TDS): Will you share some of your experiences during the war?
Pijush: I was a college student back then, yet to complete my graduation. But I was involved with student politics since the mass upsurge of 1969. I was not a resident of Dhaka though; I lived in Faridpur. Concerns surrounding the Pakistani rulers not willing to hand over power to the Awami League grew strong. All of our great leaders, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Maulana Bhashani, Mozaffar Ahmed and Moni Singha were equally apprehensive and began to take necessary pre-emptive measures. Following the March 7 speech by Bangabandhu, we knew that a hard struggle awaited us.
After March 7, I went to stay at Faridpur and began contacting the student leaders along with elected lawmakers of the 1970 polls. As preparations were going on full throttle, March 25 arrived with its darkness. My house in Faridpur was near the Kotowali police station. At around midnight, the local Officer in Charge woke me up to notify me of the latest news from Dhaka: a massive massacre had taken place in Dhaka University and other areas, while Sheikh Mujib had declared a full scale war. The OC also showed me a copy of the wireless. I asked him where he got it, he replied that the SP handed it to him and gave instructions to pass it on.
After a couple of days some of the survivors from the Pilkhana EPR arrived in Faridpur, armed with weapons. Some other Army and Navy officers, who were enjoying a furlough, also joined us to form a training camp. We arranged for daylong training at the camp which included war preparation and strategies.
Faridpur remained independent till the Pakistani occupation forces invaded the district on April 21. We tried to protect Faridpur and the local administration was of a great help to us. The then Faridpur DC gave us assistance and others helped us keep the area free till April 20. But on the following day, the Pakistanis infiltrated from all directions. They had plans to take over the Southern parts by capturing Faridpur. Our protective attempts failed and they burned to ashes all that came in their path. Only then did we realise that war is not a romantic notion, but a harsh reality. Those who received training were instructed to fall back to the countryside and counter attack with help from the rural people. We used this technique for guerrilla warfare for the next nine months.
We planned to stop the Pakistanis with help from our people. But that became impossible for several reasons. Firstly, we did not have enough weapons. Secondly, many inside the local administration were helping the occupation forces. And thirdly Razakar and Al-Badr groups formed in all villages, causing us more danger than the army itself. The collaborators were also supplied with guns.
There were no mobile phones at the time. One had to walk miles to carry messages. I got used to walking 10 miles a day. The common folk of the countryside helped us a lot. By that time the Mujibnagar government was formed. At one point, I moved to India to receive training, a time when our neighbours saw over 10 million people taking refuge in their country. So this is my experience of the war.
Shafiqul Islam, Dhaka: Has the dream you cherished when you fought the war been fulfilled?
Pijush: Yes, a lot of it has been fulfilled. The primary goal was to free the country, a target we achieved. Our dreams were not just independence or a red-green flag; they were so much more. Bengalis have been victims to years of oppression and suffering. So we hoped this war would help us uphold our own culture -- rich in traditions and heritages.
News Source: The Daily Star