Shib Narayan Das: The designer of Bangladesh’s first flag

It is sad but true that very few people in Bangladesh know about Shib Narayan Das. This legendary figure earned his place in the history of Bangladesh as the first designer of the national flag. In this article, readers will learn about this remarkable individual and the history behind the design of Bangladesh’s first flag.

Shib Narayan Das was a freedom fighter who risked his life to free the country from the oppression of the Pakistani military. He passed away at the age of 77 on April 19, 2024, while undergoing treatment in the ICU of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. 

He was so courageous that he trampled on a photo of then-President Ayub Khan, which had been hung at Comilla Victoria Government College. For this reason, the authoritarian government issued a warrant against him. Not only that, he was the 17th out of 35 accused in the Agartala conspiracy case.

The beginning of the design of Bangladesh’s first flag was not easy. The process began on June 7, 1970, when Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was scheduled to participate in a student military parade at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka, the capital of East Pakistan at the time. For this event, a group called the “Joy Bangla Force,” also known as the “February 15 Force,” was formed with students. The student leaders decided to make a flag for this force.

For this purpose, on June 6, 1970, a meeting was held in room 108 of Sergeant Zahurul Haque Hall (then known as Iqbal Hall) at Dhaka University. The meeting was attended by Chhatra League leaders ASM Abdur Rab, Shahjahan Siraj, Kazi Aref Ahmed and Marshal Monirul Islam to plan the flag design. Also present at the meeting were Chhatra League leader Swapan Kumar Chowdhury, Jagannath College BCL leader Nazrul Islam, Cumilla district BCL general secretary and central student leader Shib Narayan Das, BUET BCL general secretary Hasanul Haq Inu, and student leader Yusuf Salauddin.

In the meeting, based on Kazi Aref Ahmed's initial proposal and after everyone's discussion, it was decided to create a flag with a yellow map of Bangladesh in the middle of a red sun on a green background. Kamrul Alam Khan (Khasru) then brought a large piece of green fabric with a red circle sewn into it from a Bihari tailor’s shop in Dhaka New Market.

On the night of June 6, 1970, in room 401 (North) of Sher-e-Bangla Hall at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), the entire design of the flag was completed after 11 p.m. That same night, Khalek Mohammadi, the tailor master of New Pak Fashion Tailors, located next to the Chhatra League office on the third floor of the Balaka building in the New Market area, began working on the flag design. It should be noted that, at that time, the design featured a map of Bangladesh in the middle of a red sun.

On the night of March 25, 1971, the Pakistani military forces launched their first attack on Shib Narayan Das’s residence in Bagichagaon, Cumilla. Failing to find him, they took his father to the cantonment, where he was brutally killed that night. A reward of Tk 10,000 was announced for capturing Shib Narayan Das. During that incident, he was barricading the road with party workers and burning car tires in Shasongacha.

In March 2001, when a first-class daily newspaper approached him for an interview, he directly refused, saying, “If I tell the whole story, there will be things you won't be able to publish. This government will not take these words positively. Moreover, radical fundamentalists may be encouraged by these words, which I don’t want. So, I have decided not to say anything for now. Let the time come, then I will see. It does not matter what I did in 1971. My name is not even on the list of freedom fighters, and I have no objection to that either.” 

Avarice is the main theme of Volpone

The main theme of “Volpone,” one of the best plays by Ben Jonson, is avarice. The central character of this play is Volpone, who was a nobleman in seventeenth-century Venice. Though he is quite rich, his greed knows no bounds. Volpone’s story revolves around his amassing more wealth and the kind of complexity that arises from this greed. The main lesson that we get from this play is that greed leads to destruction.

If we examine the characters of this play, we will see that each of the main five characters is extremely greedy. First is the central character, Volpone, who is difficult to label as a hero. His greed knows no bounds, and his religion is not Christianity but rather greed. From beginning to end, he obsesses over wealth and gold incessantly. Gold is significant because, during that time, it held more importance than other forms of wealth. That is why Volpone repeatedly fixates on gold.

In those days, currency was primarily minted using gold, and gold coins were also widely circulated. Gold coins were the most valuable currency, so when referring to gold, it often included gold coins as well. Therefore, when Volpone thinks of acquiring more gold, it implies his desire to accumulate wealth in the form of gold coins.

The next important character after Volpone is Mosca, and Mosca shares the same thoughts as Volpone throughout the day. Mosca does not engage in much labor; rather, his primary task is to survive by depending on Volpone. In a way, Mosca acts as Volpone’s servant, working for him all day long, albeit in a flattering manner. Mosca is not only a companion but also an active accomplice in Volpone’s nefarious deeds. Consequently, Mosca becomes extremely greedy at one point and betrays Volpone.

There are not many female characters in this play. Among the few, Corvino’s wife, Celia, is one. Driven by greed for Volpone’s wealth and ensnared by Mosca’s cunning, Corvino sends his wife to Volpone so that Volpone can enjoy her. Nothing could be more unethical than this, indicating how greedy Corvino was. If we consider Corvino’s greed as bad, then we can think about Corbaccio as well. Corbaccio agreed to disinherit his son Bonario and designate Volpone as the sole heir to his wealth. Certainly, Corbaccio and Corvino should be blamed more than Volpone or Mosca because they abandoned their son and wife, respectively, out of greed. Family is certainly important and should be the most important, but we learn from Volpone that people, out of greed, do not hesitate to sacrifice their own family or even the dignity of their wives.

As a result, each character in this play suffers. Volpone becomes almost mad by the end when he discovers that his favorite servant, Mosca, has been cheating on him. Mosca nearly succeeds in deceiving Volpone, but he ultimately loses in court. Corbaccio and Corvino do not inherit Volpone’s wealth; instead, their relationships with their families deteriorate. The two virtuous characters, Celia and Bonario, are proven innocent in court.

Ben Jonson tried to beautifully convey that avarice is a very bad thing. However, at the same time, we have to keep in mind that if people do not have morality in society, then it brings danger to society. Greed may lead to temporary gains, but it is not sustainable in the long run.