Liberation War Museum, Bangladesh

status: national competition 2009,1st prize

under construction 2011-

assoc consultant: Vistaara Architects

structural consultant: TDM

MEP: UP,JBE,AVE ENGINEERS,TECHNO CONSULTANTS

BUA =1,75,000 sft approx.

(No mausoleum is enough to express the sacrifices made)

Prelude

In 1971, a nine months Liberation War gave birth to Bangladesh as it separated from Pakistan.  Our independence is a glorious event in the history of Bengal in general, and Bangladesh in particular.  Finally, after centuries of oppression and occupation, we gained independence; with it came political sovereignty, geographical identity & cultural freedom for the people of this deltaic land.

The struggle of 1971 is a story of a populace seeking their destiny.  This did not happen in a day.  The Great Divide of ’47, the Language Movement of ’52, Elections of ’58, Mass Uprising of ’69, the 70’s Election, Bangabandhu’s 6 Point Demand, Agartala Conspiracy and finally, the Speech of 7th March 1971, all culminated in 16 December 1971, the day of our independence.

Thus, the Liberation War is a movement of a freedom seeking people against hegemony and oppression that spanned over two decades.

The challenge of a LiberationWarMuseum is thus in the fact that all chronological events must be portrayed in symphony under one single roof.  The structure should speak for itself, as if telling a story through sight. The LiberationWarMuseum is anticipated to be not only the symbol and representation of our own struggle for independence of Bangladesh as a nation, but also a memorial to all nations thriving for independence.

It is designed to serve as a contextual landmark of the city and the nation as a whole and a platform for public interaction and exchange with our own history.  The concept envisages the need for transfer of not only knowledge, but also the spirit of our independence for all generations to come.

.The formal expression, planning and implication of this public space illustrate the spirit of Bangladesh’s Liberation War through architectonic expressions.

The heart of the project is the chamber of remembrance and realization, through which light falls upon the water body reflecting the eternal flame –signifying an imaginative relation to the forces of nature culminating through our minds in co-relation towards victory and tranquility. This is the allegory to the force which at the instance of Bangabandhu’s call for independence – which dissipated intensely through the entire demography electrifying the people and the nation to fight towards FREEDOM.

The exterior of the form is austere & humble marked by bullet marks, through which light falls in the gallery, representing the ravages of war. The inner side of the wall in the upper level gallery holds the names of martyrs. Behind the bullet punctured wall, all the names of the martyrs and would be written in templates in such a way so that new names if found can be added.

The vertical column like elements puncturing through the gallery and shooting out of the building poetically celebrates not only the elation of victory, but also has a dual meaning of the popular uprising at Bangabandhu’s call for independence.  The expression also signifies normal people transforming to freedom fighters through the rising of Bangabandhu’s fist.  This is not unlike a snapshot of “LATHIALS” or warriors of rural Bangladesh as they postured in protest against centuries of oppression, which can be still found in the rustic people of rural Bangladesh. With bamboo sticks they still crave for freedom. This spirit of human freedom and rebellion is represented in the main elevation.

 Chamber of remembrance

The war of independence started with a rebellion to withstand the forces of oppression, and to gain the rights of the people. It is a series of discontinuous yet deeply interwoven events In the minds of our people that finally culminated towards the birth of a new nation. The artifacts during the nine months of war would be displayed below nine light shafts which would glorify chronologically the final victory. In the heart of the museum there is the chamber of remembrance where a claustrophobic dark space, only lit by a circular light from above would remind the eternal nature of human freedom.

A circular wall of red hue depicting murals and motifs are a reminder to the void of dislocation of refugees, victims of war and all who has lost their beloved.

Finally, a person is isolated to his own and can come to a hearth like space where only vertically clear lateral walls, floor and roof made of glass would give a visual shock to compel the visitor to contemplate the eternal flame below and the open sky above.  It represents the freedom of human mind and spirit, hanging in between the physical and the metaphysical.  A person is reminded of the past but is forced towards the future and a sense of liberation.

Entry

A ceremonial entry to the museum will guide its visitors to the circular water body depicting force which holds the flame of eternity signifying tranquility and homage to the martyrs. The channel of water has a dual meaning of invitation & the deltaic nature of Bangladesh. The red wall behind the eternal flame depicts the peoples’ struggle and plight of our history by means cut-out murals & motifs. The wall of the auditorium would hold digital panels to display contributors’ names. Seven pillars in front of the complex are in memory of the seven highest martyrs (BIR SRESHSTHOs).  The circular void through which sunlight falls upon the water body and the flame below & light through the perforated murals of the wall of history poetically depict the continuation of human and natural forces of the nation towards its journey through the ages. It also acts as a memorial for all national events related to Liberation War, a continuum of human struggle towards holistic freedom.