18th December, 1971The third evening of independent Bangladesh will come soon. The red-green flag is fluttering in the sky of Dhaka with the smell of gunpowder. An old man in his seventies is playing with a teenager in the sound of ‘Joy Bangla’ which has come out of the procession in the neighborhood. The whole city is drowning in a strange joy.But, there is no joy in 75, Jalpaiguri House on Siddheswari Road. The whole house is full of deep sadness. The emptiness of the state has crowded in the eyes of everyone, no one has a word to say. The most indifferent person is lying on the verandah ignoring the sadness around him. On the left side of the forehead, in the hole of the bullet, holding the red sun of the flag, the illustrious sons of the soil, Shaheed Dr. Fazle Rabbee is sleeping in the coffin.Martyred intellectual of the great liberation war Dr. Fazle Rabbee was born on September 22, 1932, in Chakchatiani, Pabna. After matriculating from Pabna Zilla School, Thantu, the eldest son of the parents, also got a place in the ISC examination. In 1950, he was admitted to Dhaka Medical College, the then only medical college in East Pakistan. In 1955, Dr. Rabbi won the first place in the final professional examination with the highest marks of Pakistan. At the end of his training he joined Dhaka Medical College Hospital as an Assistant Surgeon. He went to England in 1960 for higher education while being the Registrar of Medicine. He returned to the country in 1983 after obtaining two MRCP degrees in Cardiology and Internal Medicine in record time. Dr. Rabbi joined the Department of Medicine as an Associate Professor in Dhaka Medical College Hospital, his old workplace. In 1966, at the age of 36, he was promoted to the rank of Professor of Medicine and Cardiology, setting a record as the youngest professor in all of Pakistan.Dr. Rabbee was also the pioneer of medical research in East Bengal. His busy career as a physician did not deter him from research. Multiple research articles in world-renowned medical research journals, such as ‘The Lancet’ and ‘The British Medical Journal’, introduced him to the international arena.Dr. Rabbee was a reclusive patriot. After completing his higher education, he left behind the lucrative career of Middlesex Hospital in England and did not hesitate to return to the country even once. The dictatorial regime has repeatedly turned a blind eye to the demand for a people-oriented medical system. During the turmoil of 1970, he casually threw out the All Pakistan ‘Best Professor’ award, sending a clear message that he would like to reject West Pakistan as well.The ruthless scene of 26 March’s Dhaka Medical College Hospital that was heavy with tears hurt Dr. Fazle Rabbi severely. So, despite the opportunity, he did not leave the hospital. He continued the health care at the risk of his life. Knowing that the bayonet of oppression may come down on himself, Dr. Rabbeehas secretly treated the freedom fighters in the days of liberation war. Moreover, he kept his professional oath by taking the risk of giving treatment to a ‘non-Bengali’ patient during the tumultuous December 15th, reminding that “there is no caste distinction for a doctor, everyone has the same identity – human beings.”Martyr Dr. Fazle Rabbee had a visionary dream. He dreamed of a welfare state in which no one would be deprived of medical treatment due to lack of money. He dreamed of an independent territory, where people would not have to be accounted for talking about public health care.He had to stop even when he was on the verge of fulfilling his dream.To avenge the defeat, Rabbee was abducted on December 15 by Pakistani forces and their local allies. Facing a brushfire with other intellectuals at the Itkhola in Rayerbazar, Fazle Rabbi dreamed of a Bangladesh for the last time, where no one would have to face bullets for talking about liberation like in East Pakistan.The last few bullets fired from East Pakistan. Dr. Rabbee let them get in his chest. Bullets hit the chest cage and dreams flew in the sky. In the joy of liberation, a smile appeared on the corner of Fazle Rabbi’s face. He stood with his head held high and felt the last bullet on his head. When the crimson hole on the left side of the forehead started shining as the sun of independent Bangladesh on the head of the Racecourse the next day, the chest of Fazle Rabbi had been the new map of this independent country. Two days after the conquest of Dhaka, beloved birthplace of Dr. Rabbee,Pabna was freed. With the joy of his free homeland, Martyr Dr. Rabbi Fazle is lying in peace on the verandah of 75, Jalpaiguri House, Dhaka.
Writer: DR. Ahmadullah
Translated by: Abrar Jawad Afif
Art: Rakin Nowar
