DHAKA, Aug 5, 2018 (BSS) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today recalled Sheikh Kamal, the eldest son of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, on his 69th birth anniversary, terming him ‘a man with multidimensional talents’.
“There was not a single discipline of games and sports — football, cricket, hockey and basketball — in which Sheikh Kamal was not an expert,” she said at the outset of a function at Ganabhaban here this morning.
Through the function, the premier inaugurated optical fibre connectivity to 300 unions of 10 districts.
Sheikh Hasina, also the elder sister of Sheikh Kamal, said they grew up by playing games together.
“Though Kamal was born next to me and junior by two years, we groomed up playing games together,” she said in an emotion charged voice.
The premier said Sheikh Kamal, as a central committee member of Bangladesh Chhatra League, played a pioneering role in all movements of the country.
Kamal, who was a student of Dhaka College and Dhaka University, took training in Dehradun of India during the Liberation War, she said.
“Kamal was a valiant freedom fighter. Alongside, he used to play well football, cricket, hockey and basketball,” she remembered.
Sheikh Hasina said Kamal, who formed Spondon Shilpi Gosthi, a musical band of folk songs, used to collect folk songs and made those popular through mouth organ.
“Kamal could perform drama, song and give extempore speech and play ‘sitar’ excellently,” she said.
The prime minister said she and Kamal started playing instrumental songs together in their childhood. “Though I could not continue it, Kamal kept it ongoing as he was an excellent hand,” she said.
Sheikh Kamal embraced martyrdom on the fateful night of August 15 in 1975 at the age of 26.
Though the main target of the brutal coup de tat of August 15, 1975 was the Father of the Nation, his eldest son, Sheikh Kamal, was the first to be martyred.
According to the deposition of Havildar Quddus, one of the security guards of Bangabandhu’s residence, Major Bazlul Huda and Captain Nur Chowdhury along with some of his accomplices, entered the Dhanmandi residence of Bangabandhu and carried out the gruesome killings.
After entering the house, they saw Sheikh Kamal, first, in the porch. Huda opened fire and Kamal was hit in the legs. Kamal stumbled and fell. The killers later, returned and shot an injured Kamal dead. He was buried along with his mother and other slain family members at Banani Graveyard.
Sheikh Kamal was one of the pioneers of modern football in Bangladesh and also the founder-president of the country’s leading sporting club Abahani Krira Chakra.
He was well-trained on war-course and he got commission before taking part in Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
Sheikh Kamal was the Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to Commander-in-Chief of Bangladesh Armed Forces General Ataul Gani Osmani during the War of Liberation.
After passing Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination from Shahin School and HSC from Dhaka College, Kamal was admitted into Dhaka University.
Kamal used to play cricket in first division for Azad Boys Club and Basketball too in first division for Spurs Club. He was also founder-member of Dhaka Theatre and cultural organization “Uchcharon”, which introduced former freedom fighters who had a knack for music on modern lines.
Sheikh Kamal, himself, was a life-long sitar player and appeared sometimes in TV sitar recitals, as well.