Amar Mitra's Memory of War and Resistance

Author Amar Mitra said that war is not the “answer” to the question between India and Pakistan. |Picture source: Special arrangement

When the simulation exercise rang out, the WhatsApp team in Kolkata's buzzing was anxious about the ghosts of conflict, and the famous Bengali writer Amar Mitra found himself transported to a different era – Kolkata was covered in blackout curtains, and its people navigated the period with firm resistance and courage.

“I have clear memories of the war with Pakistan in 1965. I can't believe that 60 years have passed,” said Mr. Mitra. Hindu From his residence. “I was 14 years old then. We lived in Bergachia and our windows were covered with paper to prevent the flickering light from escaping. There were alarms throughout the night, usually the creepy silence that followed.”

A memory stands out with the vividness of the dramatic lamp – ironically, totally dark. One night, my brother Manoj-da (yes, actor and playwright) performed a play at a theater in the Rabindra Sarobar area. We boarded a double decker bus to South Kolkata. The whole city is out of power. I looked out the window and saw a ghost city, a ghost city, dark and silent, but there was no drama.

Mr. Mitra’s brother, the late Manoj Mitra, a towering figure at the Bengal Theater, died in November 2024, and was staged that evening in one of his early works. For young Amar, the journey through the shadow city became a memory burned by fear and obsession with the human spirit.

Six years later in 1971, a 20-year-old Amar Mitra – now a budding writer and employee of the Ministry of Agriculture Reform in West Bengal – was moved by the Bangladesh plight as East Pakistan began its bloody struggle for liberation.

“I feel like I have to do something,” he said firmly. “With our friends in the paragraph, we raised funds, bought the essentials – dettol, cotton, benzene, cookies, rice, tea, and headed to the border.”

They took the train to Banga and then walked to the oil company, a man who crossed, now military, but followed by the porous edge of the divided Bangladesh. “The Indian guards stopped us and warned us of Pakistani spies. But we slid past and arrived at a Mukti Bahini camp. We handed over the humble gift.”

Born in a zoning displaced family in 1947, Amar Mitra continues to be one of the most respected literary voices in Bangladesh. Dhanapatir char,,,,, Aswacharit,,,,, Radcliffe Lineand Kumari Megher desh chai. In 2022, he became the first Indian to win the famous O. Henry Award for translating stories, joining the ranks of international short-term masters.

Mr. Mitra remains vigilant while reflecting on the current geopolitical insecurity. “Terrorism must be uprooted from Kashmir and all regions of our country,” he said. “But war – war is not the answer. Never. Those who pay the price are always ordinary citizens, brave jaws. Religion cannot determine our politics. We are proud to be a secular country. Religion is for faith, not governance.”

As a city where he likes to debate wars in the living room and digital screens, Mr. Mitra clung to the commemoration of the bus in the dark – and the border with bandages and cookies on the border, rather than bullets.