Let 'Victory Flower' be a symbol of Liberation War

Children in Britain are accustomed to seeing Poppies on everyone’s chest in November. The allied powers of World War II commemorated their glorious past by wearing red poppies made of paper or cloth. The tradition of the red poppy memorial was started by a Canadian doctor. Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote a poem called In Flanders Fields. Flanders Fields was a bloody battlefield during World War I, where poppies grew, symbolizing flowers blooming from the blood of fallen soldiers. McCrae’s poignant description inspired Professor Monica Mitchell of Georgia University, who wrote another immortal poem—We Shall Keep the Faith. In this poem, she urges everyone to wear a poppy flower on their chest in November. Europe responded to this call, and many countries and nations around the world adopted this symbol, wearing it on their clothes.

Encouraged by poet-teacher Shamim Azad, patriotic expatriates from Bangladesh in London decided to use the children’s familiarity with a flower to celebrate Victory Day and teach their children about the significance of the day. These children were born in Britain, and to them, Bangladesh is only a distant land of grandparents. To ignite love for the country and bring the nation to life for them, it is important to introduce Bangladesh on various occasions. This thought led to the idea of the Victory Flower. The flower had to be simple to draw, and its colors had to reflect the red and green of our national flag. This flower doesn't grow on a tree, but it blooms in the depths of the heart.

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Shamim Azad has been living in London for a long time. She once brought a new dimension to ‘fashion journalism’ in Bangladesh. In one of his writings, she described, "A few years ago, on a cold November, English elderly Ted Stockwell, an injured soldier returning from World War II, was selling bright red paper poppies as a memorial for the Royal British Legion. He was the first to tell me that after the widespread destruction of World War I, the first flower to bloom in the barren, lifeless land was the 'poppy'. From that moment, a Canadian woman started selling hand-made poppies, and with the proceeds, she bought the first Christmas gift for the children of dead soldiers. That was the beginning. Now it has become a huge movement in the West!"

From this inspiration, Shamim Azad realized that the most beautiful flower of Bangladesh had bloomed during that extraordinary time in December 1971. The red sun that rose in the deep green of the flag could very well be the metaphor for our "Victory Flower." In 1998, he began promoting the idea of the "Victory Flower." Over the past few years, this initiative has spread from the United Kingdom to various other countries. Bengali-speaking people in different countries are now celebrating this program. In these countries, children and adolescents of Bangladeshi descent are enthusiastically making and distributing "Victory Flowers." The new generation, who see their parents wearing the "Victory Flower," will naturally ask questions. Then, parents will talk to them about the Liberation War, about the victory.
As children make the flower with five green petals and a red circle in the center, they ask why five petals, and why the circle is red. This is the moment to speak about independence, to pronounce the country’s name. With the five petals, so much can be conveyed! The five fundamental rights, the five major rivers of our country, the diversity of our society, and the existence of various ethnic groups.

The main goal of the "Victory Flower" is to pay tribute to the martyrs of the great Liberation War. For several years now, from December 1 to 16, Bangladeshis at home and abroad have been wearing this flower on their clothes—shirts, blouses, kurta-pajamas, t-shirts—every December. In European educational institutions and Bangladeshi social organizations, the symbol of our Liberation War victory has become central to storytelling, writing, and art workshops. Through drawing or cutting and crafting, the history of the birth of Bangladesh is easily reaching children and adolescents. Liberation War veterans, both at home and abroad, have chosen the "Victory Flower" as a medium for sharing memories. This simple, humble paper flower continues to sing the song of our victory in 1971!

While the "Victory Flower" program was celebrated sporadically in Bangladesh, it officially began in 2012. On November 24 of that year, at a press conference held at Arial House on Road No. 7 in Dhanmondi, poet Shamim Azad inaugurated the "Victory Flower" program. In Dhaka, nearly 6,000 cyclists, wearing the "Victory Flower," marched. Gradually, it began to spread across the country. Anyone who wears the "Victory Flower" on their clothes or keeps it in their pocket will be filled with the spirit of the Liberation War. This energy can lead to a unified awakening in favor of the Liberation War. The Victory Flower holds within it the memories of my country, its history, its Liberation War, its traditions, and values. I carry that process in my heart all year round—that’s my commitment.

Author: Columnist and Organizer