City Desk :
Darkness had engulfed the life of Hamida Banu, and for a while, she lost her hope for survival in the world when her husband left her along with nine-month-old Antor.
However, this hard reality developed Hamida as a struggling mother who sacrificed her life with a promise to make her son an enlightened citizen. Virtually, Asharaful Islam Antor became the only cause of her survival in the world, reports BSS.
Antor, 15, became a Hafez-e-Quran as his mother invested all efforts and sacrificed all personal needs. But all of a sudden, bullets of the killers snatched away Hamida’s “everything” forever as Antor embraced martyrdom on August 5 as the fag end of the student-led mass uprising.
On August 5, police fired on the jubilant people when they were celebrating victory following the downfall of autocratic ruler Sheikh Hasina.
“Since my husband left me along with my son, I invested all my efforts to make my son a worthy one. I always travelled to my workplace in New Market on foot from Kamrangirchar to save money to ensure my son’s education,” said Antor’s bereaved mother.
Hamida burst into tears while recalling her struggle during an interview with BSS at her residence at Dogair area under Demra Police Station in the city’s Jatrabari area recently.
As it was hard for Antor’s mother to look after her child as she had to work outside, he grew up at his (maternal) grandmother’s house in Dogair area while all his maternal aunties helped bringing up him.
One of Antor’s aunties, Khuku Moni in a heavy voice said, “My sister sacrificed her whole life for Antor. She did not get married for nine years since her husband left her thinking about Antor’s future. But we forced her to marry six years back.”
She added: “Though we reared Antor, his mother bore all his expenditures working outside.”
Antor’s weeping mother Hamida said she worked hard to raise her son and added, “I got my son admitted to Holy Quran Madrasah in Hifz department where children of affluent families study”.
She, however, recalled the contribution of her present husband Ferdous Khan, who is a Malaysia expatriate, in running Antor’s study in the Holy Quran Madrasah.
