Childhood and education
I
was born on 14th March
in 1932. My life started in Chandpur, there my father was an
Imam of the mosque. I started going to school at the age of three.
During the 2nd world war, when I was in class five, my
father moved with the whole family from Chandpur to Comilla.
Because of the war there was an interruption in my study. After
the war by the time we settled down there, then it was told that I
am too old to go to
school being the daughter of "Imam Shaheb". Besides there
was no
school in our village . I had to go to a school which was far
enough from our village. That time the society was too
conservative to
continue my studies in this situation. So I couldn’t continue my
study.
Married life
In
February,1947 I got
married. My husband Shahid
Mohammad
Solimullah, worked on a shipping factory in
Calcutta. When the Riot took place, there was no option
but to leave the place. We returned to Comilla, then shifted to Dhaka.
As time went on, I became
mother of ten children. My husband was engaged in a job, at the same time was doing
business and then he began to take part in politics. He
participated in Mass movement of 1969.
Turning point of my life
Year:
1971
Date:
26th March
Day:
Friday
Time:
After Jumma at 2:00 pm
On
26th March after Jumma around 2
o’clock in the afternoon , targeting our house the Pakistani
Military started to open fire, and at the same time they put the house on fire.
We all took shelter in a room on the 4th floor. We were then
feeling that we all are going to die. We
were in the position of Shijdah, and said goodbye to each
other. The fire almost reach our 3rd floor but still they
were firing . Every glass of the windows broken into pieces. The
fire was almost reaching to us. It was the doomsday and we prepared
ourselves to accept the horrible and the most terrifying part of
life death.
When
the fire came near to us. My 3rd son said “I’m going to
surrender, for how long we have to stay like this? I ‘m
leaving.” He climbed a pipe and went down, luckily there’s an
acquaintance of us who saved him and
took him to a safe place. In the mean time 5 or 6
militaries climbed up the stairs and made us open the door. They
started looking for my eldest son, Shanu. When we refused to give
our son and held him tight, they told us all to go to down stairs
. By that time fire spread out and the stairs were blocked. So
they forced us to come down by the balcony, I was too nervous and
was holding with my son. My son jumped from the 2nd
floor at the same time I, too, jumped. But after that I felt, I
couldn’t get up on my foot , both were broken. Lying there
I started screaming , suddenly I saw my nephew, who came
and carried me to a bathroom on the ground floor to save me , my
kids followed me. In the mean time my eldest son and daughter hid
in another bathroom . Suddenly I could see my husband running
to us , when he got
into the bathroom, the place was too small for so many people. So
we couldn’t lock the door. Someone from the back stabbed him. My son, Sadi held
his hand tightly to stop his father’s bleeding but at last my
husband cried out “Where did we go wrong that they are doing
this to me”, he left the bathroom through another door. But I
couldn’t move a little with my broken legs.
I lost my husband
After
sometimes two guys came, and took me away from that place, on the
way I found my husband’s body lying there, blood soaked. I asked
them “Why don’t you kill the whole family at the same place?
Where are you taking me?” But later I could understand they didn’t
take us to kill , they left me and my children
at a safe place. From there I tried to trace my husband and
the other kids who were not with me. But
I could only know that my husband was dead and my children
were safe. From there we crossed the river and arrived at our
village where I met with my other children. There again I got my
whole family back except my husband.
After
the liberation war government has dedicated one of the road of
Dhaka city in remembrance of my husband that is Shahid Solimullah road in
Mohammadpur area .
My struggle began
The
war lasted nine
months and after the war we returned to Dhaka That time I had no
idea how I will survive with my 10 children. We stayed with a
non- bengali boy who was a friend of my eldest son. He asked us to
stay with him for his safety. We stayed there for 3 years. Our
house was not in the condition to live , even there was no plaster on the wall.
Somehow we
managed to make our life go on
there with the help of that family . But I didn’t want to
create a burden on them any more. I decided to returned to our
place , and made some repairs of the house and shifted . I gave 2 floors on rent. At the beginning that was
the only source of income. Government did not help us
or gave any kind of aid. The only support I got was that,
they made the education free for my children . My only aim was to
educate my children. Then they started to go to school.
My
business
As I did not
study that much, there was no easy way to earn. I was good in sewing. I had to do all the tailoring stuff for my
kids. So I began
to make dresses and send them to my daughter’s school thinking
if someone from school would be interested to buy them. It had
been
sold. People started
liking the dresses and design . I was getting many orders from
them.
Then
what I did was, taking some sample I went from shop to shop and I
got a contact from a shop named BILBO of Chandnichok. It was the
period of 1978-1980. In
the mean time I got a job in family planning, under a project
named “Baytul Falah” . There I had to take
classes of the girls from slums. By that time I had got two
sewing machines (which were given as aid). There those girls used
to come to me to learn tailoring and they were inspired by me.
From that time, about 14 to 15 gals worked under me. The number of
the orders had been increasing per year. I also had contract with
other stores like Karika. During
1978-1980, my business had been expanding like never than
before. By
1988 I had got 20-25 workers for me and with my
12 years experiences I started to supply my dresses to
Arong. My institute where many girls came to earn by tailoring
dresses and live a better life is named Baytul Falah. Still I give supply to Arong; I show my dresses in different
exhibitions. Now I have got my own showroom.
My children
Today,
my work, which once was the only source of income for our living,
has become a part of my hobby. With which I could reach my aim and
educated my kids and could turn them into better human beings.
They are all established now. By the grace of Allah each of them
are in a good position, my eldest and 2nd
son is doing job in New York, 6th son Sohel is in Denmark, 5th son Shoyeb is an army
officer (Major), 3rd and 4th son are
national artists, Sadi Mohammed is a singer and Shiblee Mohammad is a dancer. And
all my daughters completed their studies and are living with their
husbands.
My
success
I
have never tried to count how much success I have achieved in my
whole life. I can only say that I have got what I wished. After
the disaster of my life during the war my only aim was to build up
my children. Today my dreams turned into the truth only for my
patience, efforts and faith in perseverance. I am really grateful
to the Almighty. Now I feel satisfied with my children and
business.
