Arek Falgun: a Story of Hope, a Story of Rising “Ashche Falgune Amra Kintu Digoon Hobo” [in the next Falgun (the first Bengali month of spring), we will be double than today]; the last stroke of the novel is best suitable for starting this appraisal of this particular story, because this quote articulates the promise, the huff, the warning and the hint of assured success which the writer have stated throughout this entire work. Zahir Raihan, a famous filmmaker, writer and also a novelist of Bangladesh, composed his this creation, which was published in 1969, basing on the movement of establishing Bangla as the state language of the then East Bengal. The time-frame of the story is 1955, the situation after three years of the sacrifice of language martyrs. Within this time, the election of provincial assembly took place, United Front won and lost their power in 56 days, and no sign of proclamation of the recognition of Bangla. So the hype of the common people and the heat among the students was at the highest peak and Zahir Raihan sketched the inside and the outside of this situation in a very smooth way. The core of the movement, the students, develops various new forms of action and governmental force can’t keep pace with their plan of capsize. Sometimes the students are walking everywhere without shoe for continuously three days to mourn, then fasting to pray to the Almighty for the martyrs, then screaming the slogans from the roof of the halls and hostels at night, at once. Asad, Munim, Rahat are also some of these students, just students, not any type of leader or commander, but a part of an enormous power. Ranu, Benu, Nila, Salma also take part in every course and then, along with others, get arrested. But the story of the creation of a history cannot be so simple like this. There’s betrayal in sidelines, there’s love among differences, there’s unity over the entity. And, as the writer indicates, “There’s no cloud in the sky, but, a sign of storm. There’s no pace in the breeze, but, a shock of wave.” No question can be raised about the writing ability of Zahir Raihan, at least not from me. Just like his every other works, this one also overwhelms me with a sense of responsibility, a courage to struggle with a smile, and a pleasure to be born in the same land of his birthplace and to be a part of that nation whose people didn’t care the bullets and made a history. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kaniz Rabeya Bushra Moum is an undergraduate student of the Department of Social Relations, East West University, Dhaka.