Bangladesh Zindabad ( — , ) is a slogan used by

Bangladeshis Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the permanent residents ...

as an expression of patriotism and often used in political speeches and cricket matches. Its use started even before the creation of Bangladesh, during the period of United Pakistan.

Etymology

The slogan is a use of the standard

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

suffix of

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

origin; '' Zindabad'' (''Long Live''), that is placed after a person or a country name. It is used to express victory or patriotism.

History

It is said to have originated during a speech by

Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani (12 December 1880 – 17 November 1976), also known reverentially as Maulana Bhashani, was a Bangladeshi politician and statesman who was one of the founder of the Awami League, the oldest and main political party in B ...

on 23 November 1970 in Paltan Maidan,

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

. The speech happened only a few days after the

1970 Bhola cyclone The 1970 Bhola cyclone (also known as the Great Cyclone of 1970) was a catastrophic and extremely deadly tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) and India's West Bengal on 12 November 1970. It remains the deadliest t ...

, the deadliest

natural disaster A natural disaster is the very harmful impact on a society or community brought by natural phenomenon or Hazard#Natural hazard, hazard. Some examples of natural hazards include avalanches, droughts, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, landslides ...

to ever be recorded in history. The

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

was heavily criticised for its slow reactions to relief operations following the storm Bhashani and he recommended that

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

should separate and become its own independent country. He ended the speech by replacing the

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

i slogan of

Pakistan Zindabad Pakistan Zindabad (, ) is a patriotic slogan used by Pakistanis in displays of Pakistani nationalism. The phrase became popular among the Muslims of British Raj, British India after the 1933 publication of the "Pakistan Declaration" by Choudhry ...

with "''Purbo Pakistan Zindabad''" (Long Live

). Throughout the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

, Bangladesh Zindabad and '' Sheikh Mujib Zindabad'' were a common phrase used by supporters of the Bengali separatist movement in Pakistan. Following Bangladeshi independence, many were of the opinion, that

Joy Bangla Joy Bangla ( ) is a slogan and was a war cry used in Bangladesh and in the Indian state of West Bengal to indicate nationalism towards the geopolitical, cultural and historical region of Bengal and Bangamata (also known as Bangla Maa or Mother ...

(Victory to Bengal) had completed its motive and that Bangladesh Zindabad, hoping for longevity, would be more of an appropriate slogan. During the

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad (; 27 February 1919 – 5 March 1996) was a Bangladeshi politician. He was the Minister of Commerce in the third Mujib Rahman ministry under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and assumed the presidency of Bangladesh after the A ...

in 1975, ''Bangladesh Zindabad'' was made the national slogan of Bangladesh, replacing Joy Bangla. The slogan was also used during the

Ziaur Rahman Ziaur Rahman (19 January 193630 May 1981) was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the sixth president of Bangladesh from 1977 until Assassination of Ziaur Rahman, his assassination in 1981. One of the leading figures of t ...

as part of his attempt to create a territorial identity for

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

in contrast to the ethnolinguistic Bengali identity. It was used in particular, as a closing remark for his speeches. Rahman promoted ideas of Bangladeshi nationalism rather than

Bengali nationalism Bengali nationalism (, ) is a form of ethnic nationalism that focuses on Bengalis as a single ethnicity by rejecting imposition of other languages and cultures while promoting its own in Bengal. Bengalis speak the Bengali language and mos ...

, which gained support from not only a vast percentage of the Bengali population but also the

ethnic minorities The term "minority group" has different meanings, depending on the context. According to common usage, it can be defined simply as a group in society with the least number of individuals, or less than half of a population. Usually a minority g ...

in the country, who were not of Bengali origin such as the

Biharis Bihari () is a demonym given to the inhabitants of the Indian state of Bihar. Bihari people can be separated into three main Indo-Aryan ( Bihari-speaking) ethnolinguistic groups: Bhojpuris, Maithils and Magahis. They are also further divid ...

and indigenous peoples in Bangladesh. After the 7 November 1975 coup d'état, Bangladeshi citizens from "all strata of society" were known to have shouted "Bangladesh Zindabad".

References

{{Bangladesh topics Battle cries Slogans Bangladeshi nationalism Bengali words and phrases Bangladesh Nationalist Party Bangladeshi political slogans

Etymology

History

See also

References