Dhaka. Mohammad Suman, who sells national flags and headbands in Dhaka amid violent anti-government protests, has been a witness to the extraordinary events in Bangladesh, but his own life is very ordinary. Mohammad Suman’s name tells the story of social harmony, which is needed the most at this time in this violence-ridden country.
Suman, born in Dhaka in 1989, sells Bangladeshi flags and headbands of three different sizes to earn a living. According to him, he made ‘tremendous money’ during the anti-government protests that continued for more than a month in the country. The anti-government protests in the country stopped after Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of Prime Minister on August 5 and left Bangladesh for India.
However, the Teacher Student Centre (TSC) area of Dhaka University still witnesses protests. Here Suman sells flags and headbands. Students still protest from time to time demanding “no political interference” in the university campus and early student union elections. Suman, who sells a green headband inspired by Bangladesh’s national flag, says that his product is in great demand, especially among students. This headband has emerged as a symbol of unprecedented protests in Bangladesh.
Taking some time off from work, Suman (35) shared the story of his life and told how he got the name ‘Suman’, which is a common name in the Hindu community. Suman told ‘PTI-Bhasha’ here, “I was born in a Muslim family in Dhaka. Because of my name, many people think that my parents were of different religions, but it is not so. When my mother was pregnant, a woman from the minority Hindu community living in our neighbourhood told her that she would name the child after birth. And when I was born, she named me Suman.” Suman, who lives in Alu Bazar area of old Dhaka, says that his father of Indian origin came to Dhaka from Calcutta (now Kolkata) around 1971 and settled here.
Like the year 2024, the year 1971 was also a turbulent and historic year for Bangladesh as it came into existence as an independent nation after the Liberation War. In the Liberation War, Indian soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder with the freedom fighters of the then East Pakistan.
Suman said, “I went to Kolkata to meet my family members in 2008. I have never been to India since then.” When asked if he was afraid while selling flags during the violent protests, Suman said, “Why be afraid, after all everyone has to die one day.” More than 600 people were killed in the protests that broke out in Bangladesh in mid-July against the controversial quota system in government jobs. People of the Hindu community were targeted on a large scale after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5 amid the protests.
According to Suman, he made ‘record sales’ on August 5, as protesters wanted to protest by wearing headbands and waving flags. This can also be seen in the pictures and videos circulated on social media. Suman admits that he sold both the products at more than “three times the original price” because the demand had increased that day. He claimed, “On August 5, there was a demand for flags of all sizes. I sell flags of three sizes. All the flags were sold that day. I came in the morning and sold about 1,500 flags and 500 headbands in a very short time.” Suman has been selling flags for a living since 2018. He also has good sales during cricket matches in Dhaka.
He says with a smile, “But on August 5, I sold more flags than on cricket match days.” Before selling flags, Suman used to work in a flag-making factory. Suman, who knows Hindi and Bengali, studied up to class eight from a government school and then started working to support his family. He says, “I first worked as an electrician, but the income was very low, so I started working in a flag-making factory.”