A three-day Ila Mitra Mela has commenced at the Nachole Dak Bungalow field in Chapainawabganj, paying tribute to the legendary revolutionary leader of the historic Tebhaga movement. Organized by the Ila Mitra Mela National Committee, the event marks the birth and death anniversaries of Ila Mitra, which fall on October 18 and October 13 respectively.
The opening ceremony began on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 PM with the rendition of the national anthem, followed by a performance of mass songs by Sajeda Rahman and her son Mridanga Rahman on behalf of Udichi Shilpigosthi. During the inaugural session, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) General Secretary and Mela Committee member Abdullah Kafi Ratan read out an official message issued for the occasion. In the message, the state leadership welcomed the initiative, paid profound homage to the courageous leader dedicated to establishing the rights of the exploited and deprived, and lauded her enduring legacy in the subcontinent's peasant movement.
Addressing the gathering, CPB President Kazi Sajjad Zahir Chandan underscored that Ila Mitra had valiantly fought for the legitimate demands of farmers, noting that agrarian communities in Bangladesh continue to struggle and sacrifice lives for fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, and fair prices for agricultural produce. He emphasized that the state bears the ultimate responsibility to take concrete initiatives to resolve these persistent agricultural crises. Presided over by Israil Sentu, Member Secretary of the Chapainawabganj district committee of the Mela Committee, the event also featured speeches from CPB Presidium Member Ragib Ahsan Munna, Rajshahi University Folklore Department Professor Amirul Islam, Biplobi Gonofront Rajshahi President Litu Biswas, Nacholer Rani film director Syed Wahiduzzaman Diamond, Krishak Samity Chapainawabganj President and Freedom Fighter Humayun Kabir, and former headmaster of Nachole Pilot High School Mozammel Haque.
In the evening, Ila Mitra Mela National Committee President and former CPB president Mujahidul Islam Selim joined the program virtually from Dhaka. He recalled how Ila Mitra joined the peasant movement organized by her husband Ramen Mitra and rose through her own merit to become a principal leader of the Nachole Tebhaga movement, eventually earning the endearing title of Rani Ma among indigenous men and women alike. Urging citizens to learn from her relentless dedication, he remarked that the populace must adopt the struggles of the general public as their own and fight for them unconditionally. He further criticized the current administration over resource leasing arrangements and called for a united resistance against conspiracies to hand over national assets to foreign entities, asserting that while land can be sharecropped, national interests cannot be bartered away.
Following the discussion sessions, central and Rajshahi district units of Udichi performed vibrant mass music. Organizers announced that Monday evening's session will feature virtual addresses by Ila Mitra's son Mohan Mitra, Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) leader Dipsita Dhar, and Abhijit Majumdar, son of late Maoist leader Charu Majumdar, joining from West Bengal, India. Born in Kolkata on October 18, 1925, to Nagendra Nath Sen and Manorama Sen, Ila Mitra completed her education at Kolkata's Bethune School and College before marrying Ramendranath Mitra, son of zamindar Mohim Chandra Mitra of Ramchandrapur under Chapainawabganj district, following her graduation. Her steadfast leadership in the Tebhaga movement—which demanded a two-thirds share of crops for tillers—subjected her to severe police torture and imprisonment before her passing in 2002.
