Political Awakening: From Childhood Curiosity to Revolutionary Consciousness
By Shaheed Osman Hadi | From his autobiographical reflections
The First Spark: A Child at the Rally
I was five years old when I saw my first political rally. It was 1993. BNP was in power, and my father — a madrasa superintendent — was taking me to the market.
What I saw changed me forever.
Thousands of people. Torches blazing in the night. A sea of humanity moving with purpose. I didn’t understand politics. But I understood power. I understood that ordinary people, together, could shake the earth.
The March of Fire
“Mashaler micchil” — the torch procession. This image burned into my consciousness at age five. Men and women, young and old, marching with fire in their hands and conviction in their hearts.
My father told me later that this was democracy in action. Not the democracy of parliament speeches and newspaper editorials. The democracy of the streets. The democracy of the people.
From that moment, I was infected with a disease that has no cure: the fever of politics.
Politics in the Blood
My father, Maulana Abdul Hadi, was never a party activist. But he understood politics deeply. He was an intellectual who could analyze power structures and social movements with clarity.
More importantly, he respected political conviction. He never tried to shield us from politics or dismiss it as “dirty business” as so many parents do. He treated political consciousness as part of complete human development.
This was unusual for a madrasa superintendent. Most would want their children focused only on religious studies. My father understood that faith without engagement with the world is incomplete.
The Lesson for Today
Today’s children are taught that politics is for politicians. That respectable people stay away from “dirty politics.” That focusing on career and family is enough.
This is how oligarchies survive. This is how injustice perpetuates. This is how nations lose their sovereignty.
Political consciousness is not optional. It is the duty of every citizen. And it begins in childhood — not with indoctrination, but with exposure. With being present. With seeing that ordinary people, organized, can challenge any power.
From Observer to Participant
That five-year-old boy at the torch procession would go on to:
- Lead student movements
- Organize workers and youth
- Build cultural and political organizations
- Give his life for justice
The seeds planted in childhood grow into the trees of adulthood. What seeds are we planting in our children today?
“Rajnitir proti ekta taan, ekta akorsho — shey 5 bochor boyosh thekei.”
A pull toward politics, an attraction — since the age of five.
— Shaheed Osman Hadi