Various types of foibles characterise nations. Through the passage of time and attainment of maturity, many of them are capable of overcoming these weaknesses. The people of Bangladesh are not free of these drawbacks. The oldest of the foibles featuring the nation, perhaps, is its amnesia. This feature characterising the Bangladeshis surfaced one more time on last November 12. On the day the people of Patuakhali and Barguna took out processions in remembrance of the devastating 12 November, 1970, cyclone that battered the coastal areas of the then Barishal region 48 years ago. The super-cyclone, also called Gorky, ravaged large tracts of settlements in the coastal belts of Patuakhali, Barguna and Bhola, as well as a number of offshore islets.
In spite of several major cyclones that hit Bangladesh in different periods, the 1970 storm is recognised as the fiercest and most devastating in the land's history. Approximately, 500,000 people lost their lives in that killer cyclone, with hundreds and thousands washed away into the Bay of Bengal. Had it been in any developed or mid-level country, the day of 12 November would have been an occasion for annual national mourning. For Bangladesh, it should have earned a special place in the annals of its history; because this cyclone turned out to be a great catalyst to the final process of the fight for the independence of Bangladesh. It began with the brutal insouciance on the part of the then West Pakistan-based rulers towards the calamity-stricken Bengalees in erstwhile East Pakistan, later Bangladesh.
The processions in the coastal districts of the Barishal division were quite rational in their demand that November 12 be declared the Coastal Day (Upakul Dibash) at national level. Apart from pointing out the great pains and nightmarish experiences associated with the fateful November day, the participants in the processions unsparingly singled out the foible of forgetfulness of this nation. The later-day cyclones of Urir Char, Sidr, Aila etc were equally devastating. The fallout of those storms is still being acutely felt by the victims in the coastal areas. In many of the affected areas, collapsed structures, damages done to human settlements and communication, livelihood losses still stand witness to the trails of devastation. Apart from the government, the UN agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) came to the rescue of the victims after the assault of these cyclones. They are still trying relentlessly to help the storm victims get back to their normal pace of life.
Compared to these post-disaster supports, the 1970 cyclone victims were literally left to rot away. Forty-eight years ago, access to the remote coastal areas would require massive efforts and indomitability. It took almost two days for a few venturesome reporters and photojournalists to reach the cyclone-hit areas. How could it have been otherwise? In those days of archaic telephonic communication and now-obsolete media networks, the only means for carrying news to the rest of the country was the state-controlled radio. The then Radio Pakistan performed its duty by broadcasting a few lines of a storm hitting the coastal area, that led to the loss of lives.
The washing-away of large swathes of villages teeming with household buzz and bustle, busy business centres and offices remained largely beyond knowledge. The rest of the nation had to wait for a few more days to be jolted out of their dazed state with the terrifying news: bloated corpses of men, women and children floating by rivers and canals, bodies of humans and cattle stuck in uprooted trees etc. The news flow seemed endless. The 1970 cyclone did not see any organised rescue and rehabilitation programmes. It remains lodged in the memories of the elderly. Future generations need to be acquainted with this tragic chapter in our national history.