The Gueriflas of Dhaka 1971 is a valuable document of the War of Liberation. Having been a locally trained Freedom Fighter myself, I have found almost all the accounts of the war that I have read, to be exaggerated and vainglorious. Col (Retd) Towficur Rahman’s narrative is indeed a refreshing reminder that not all our deeds were glorious, and that war is also an excruciating and gruesome business. He brings in meticulous details of each operation, and depicts the courage of the young men who joined the war with accuracy, respect and passion. Reading it has been a painful pleasure, not only because the narrative holds breathtaking interest, but also because it revives memories of the war with vividness and rekindles respect for forgotten heroes such as Manik Bhai and Captain Haider. Most importantly, it reawakens love and respect for the Liberation War, which, unfortunately, has been reduced to politicians’ harangue and pseudo-Freedom Fighters’ profit-mongering enterprise. It is a must read for both the generation of 1971 as well as the post-71 generation.
