Russel: A Portrait of Blusterous Childhood

Eastern bank of Dhanmondi Lake, road no. 31 and 32, a little boy was riding a bicycle formidably. Sometimes he slipped down with his bicycle. He moved on and started riding like a butterfly. Sheikh Russel, the youngest child of Bangabandhu was such blusterous. Journalists ABM Musa wrote about Sheikh Russel in his autobiography. 

Sheikh Russel was fickled like the spring air. He was growing with the deep essence of humanity. As a son of the Prime Minister, he did not have any arrogance.

He has a disinclination of having food from childhood. But he liked to take food with the housemaids. His plate was designed with red flower. He used to share his food with his pet Tommy. 

He endeared relations with his home tutors. He loved them like his family.

After the Liberation War, Russel got a chance to spent lively time with family for the first time. He tried to stay close with his father. Sometimes, he got the chance to be the companion of his father during foreign tour. World leaders were amazed after seeing his self-confidence and sight. 

During the Mass Uprising in 1969, Sheikh Russel was only four and half years old and in 1971, he was seven. These two momentums of Bangladesh had an impact on his mind. So, he wanted to be an army officer. When they visited at Tungipara, he played with gun with children like a dummy war. 

From his childhood, he was brave, careful and sharpheaded. In his early childhood, he used to catch ants. One day a large bullet ant bite him. From that time, he started to call bullet ant by the name of Bhutto. By seeing the oppression of the Pakistani government, he subconsciously accepted Bhutto as the invasive power.

On May 27 and 28 in 1967, Bangabandhu wrote in “Prison's Dairy' about Sheikh Russel. He wrote, “The two and half years old boy said to me- Amader Dabi Mante Hobe- Shangram- Shangram, Cholbe- Cholbe”. Then Bangamata said that Russel learnt this from the political meetings and road marches. 

The child was growing and conducting with the Liberation War. The more he was growing, his patriot feeling was more expressing. Alas! He was killed before his 11th birthday. 

But he did not get vanquished under the darkness of dead. He is still alive on the heart of every Bengali. He will be alive forever. His inspiring childhood will spread dream to the mind of all the children of Bangladesh.