Call-Ready () is a traditional microphone service provider in Bangladesh. Before the

independence of Bangladesh The independence of Bangladesh was Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence, declared from Pakistan on 26 March 1971, which is now celebrated as Independence Day (Bangladesh), Independence Day. The Bangladesh Liberation War started on 26 March ...

, this microphone service was frequently used in various movements in

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 ...

. The notable events where the service was used, the

Bengali language movement The Bengali language movement was a political movement in East Bengal (modern-day Bangladesh) in 1952, advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as a co-lingua franca of the then-Dominion of Pakistan to allow its use in government ...

in 1952,

1954 East Bengali legislative election Legislative elections were held in East Bengal between 8 and 12 March 1954, the first since Pakistan became an independent country in 1947. The opposition United Front led by the All-Pakistan Awami League and Krishak Sramik Party won a landsli ...

, the Six point movement in 1966, 1969 Mass uprising,

1970 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 7 December 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly. They were the first direct general elections since the independence of Pakistan and ultimately the only ones held prior to the independence o ...

and 7 March Speech. In addition to political events involving Bangladeshi politicians, Call-Ready was also used at events featuring foreign heads of state. Notable figures who spoke through Call-Ready microphones include

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

Pranab Mukherjee Pranab Kumar Mukherjee ( ; born, 11 December 1935 – 31 August 2020) was an Indian statesman who served as the president of India from 2012 until 2017. He was the first person from West Bengal to hold the post of President of India. In a pol ...

, and

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian poet, writer and statesman who served as the prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 ...

. Traditionally, the

Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...

and other political parties in Bangladesh have frequently used Call-Ready.

History

In 1948, two brothers, Haripada Ghosh and Doyal Ghosh, started a shop named 'Arju Light House' in

Sutrapur Sutrapur () is a Administrative divisions of Bangladesh, Thana of Dhaka District in the Division of Dhaka Division, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Geography Sutrapur is bounded by Paltan Thana, Motijheel Thana and Sabujbagh Thana on the north, Keraniganj ...

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 ...

. Initially, they rented out gramophones and provided lighting services for various events. At first, they imported a few microphones from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and made some hand microphones themselves to rent out for events and gatherings. As demand grew, they began importing microphones from countries like

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Around the same time, the demand for microphones increased due to the growing protests and rallies demanding language rights. The name 'Call-Ready' was chosen for their microphone service. It was based on the idea that "if someone calls (calls them), their organization should always be ready (prepared)." Thus, the name Call-Ready was coined from this thought. By 1954, the number of employees at the microphone service established by the two brothers had surpassed 20.

7th March Speech

On 7th March 1971, at the then Racecourse Ground (now

Suhrawardy Udyan Suhrawardy Udyan () is a national memorial and public space located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Originally known as Ramna Race Course, it holds significant historical importance due to its association with key events in the country's history. The sit ...

) in Dhaka, on the eve of the

Bangladesh War of Independence 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 ...

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), also known by the honorific Bangabandhu, was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman and activist who was the founding president of Bangladesh. As the leader of Bangl ...

delivered his historic speech. In late October 2017, this speech was recognized as a "Documentary Heritage" by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. Call-Ready microphones were used during the 7th March Speech. Before the 7th March speech, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman summoned Haripada Ghosh and Doyal Ghosh to his residence in Dhanmondi, asking them to prepare microphones at the Racecourse Ground. Three days before the rally, they set up the microphones under the cover of darkness and kept them concealed. They also stored some microphones at

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...

. The microphone and microphone stand used during the 7th March speech are currently preserved by Call-Ready.

References

{{reflist 1948 establishments in East Bengal Companies of Bangladesh