2024-04-20 07:52:49
Freedom fighter Shiv Narayan Das, one of the designers of the national flag of Bangladesh, has passed away. He was 78 years old.
He died on Friday (April 19) around 9:30 a.m. while undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in the capital. He was admitted in ICU.
Earlier, Shiv Narayan was admitted to a private hospital in the capital. When his physical condition deteriorated, he was quickly admitted to BSMMU on the advice of doctors.
On June 6, 1970, he completed the design of the entire flag in room number 116 of Dhaka University’s Iqbal Hall (now Shaheed Sergeant Zahurul Haque Hall) after 11 pm. This flag was later hoisted on the floor of Dhaka University on March 2, 1971.
Sivanarayan Das’ father Satishchandra Das practiced Ayurveda in Comilla. During the Liberation War in 1971, he was captured and killed by Pakistani invaders.
Shivnarayan Das’s wife’s name is Geetshree Chowdhury and his child is Arnab Aditya Das.
On June 7, 1970, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was supposed to participate in a military parade of students held at Dhaka’s Paltan Maidan. For this, a Jai Bangla Bahini, otherwise known as ‘February 15 Bahini’, was formed with students. The student leaders decided to make a flag for this force.
On June 6, 1970, Chhatra League leader ASM Abdur Rab, Shahjahan Siraj, Kazi Aref Ahmad, Marshal Monirul Islam sat in a meeting to plan the flag in room 108 of Sergeant Zahurul Haque Hall (then Iqbal Hall) of Dhaka University.
Chhatra League leader Swapan Kumar Chowdhury, Jagannath College Chhatra League leader Nazrul Islam, Comilla district Chhatra League general secretary and central student leader Shivnarayan Das, Engineering University Chhatra League general secretary Hasanul Haque Inu and student leader Yusuf Salauddin were also present in the meeting.
Based on the initial proposal of Kazi Aref in the meeting, at the end of everyone’s discussion, it was decided to make a flag with a map of Bengal in yellow on a green background. Kamrul Alam Khan (Khasru) then fetched from a Bihari tailor’s shop in Dhaka New Market a large piece of green cloth with a red circle sewn into it; Then a map of East Pakistan was drawn on tracing paper with an atlas from Enamul Haque of Room 312 of Quaid Azam Hall (now Titumir Hall) of the University of Engineering. Shivnarayan Das finally drew the map with his deft hand within the red circle, thus creating the ‘February 15 Army’ flag, which was later recognized as the first flag of Bangladesh.
On Pakistan Day on March 23, 1971, the Bangladeshi flag designed by Shivnarayan Das was hoisted in place of the national flag of Pakistan at various places throughout East Pakistan.
In 1972, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s government asked Shivnarayan Das to leave out the map in the flag and give a report on the size, color and interpretation of the flag. The version modified by Kamrul Hasan is the current national flag of Bangladesh.