Israfail Akand Rudra, a student of the Department of Public Administration and Governance Studies at Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University (JKKNIU), has been writing a series of books documenting the memories of the July mass uprising, the sacrifices of its martyrs and the history of the movement.
Rudra, a student of the 2022–23 academic session, has also founded a research-oriented platform called “Tales of July—Julyer Kotha”, which aims to publish books related to the July uprising and preserve documents and other materials connected to the movement.
His latest book, Rickshaw, Rokto ebong Gono Ovvutthan, is scheduled to be published next month by Oitijjhya, a creative publishing house in Bangladesh. The book recounts the stories of 36 rickshaw pullers who lost their lives during the July mass uprising.
Rudra previously authored Bangla Bibhager Meye, which has already gone through two print runs, while a third printing is expected to be released soon.
He also wrote Julyer Phool, a book featuring the life stories of 111 child and adolescent martyrs.
Several other publications have been released by Tales of July under Rudra's editorship. They include Shaheed Osman Hadi: Smritite, Sahitye o Sangrame, Shaheed Anas Smaran Sankhya, Roktakto Julyer Kobita, Internet Crackdown-er Dingulo, Shaheed Mugdha Smaran Sankhya and Shaheed Abrar Fahad Smaran Sankhya.
Speaking about his motivation to work on the July uprising, Rudra said the 2018 election made him reflect on the political realities of that period.
“Since then, I have tried to highlight the ills of society and politics through poetry and various forms of writing. The blood of the martyrs inspired me to work on July,” he said.
Rudra said he could not remain on the streets throughout the July movement because he lived in a village. However, he participated in the movement in his locality and witnessed bloodshed.
“I could not become a martyr. So, I see staying alive as a responsibility to preserve the memories of the martyrs. I continue to work out of that sense of responsibility,” he said.
Rudra said he initially launched the initiative on July 31, 2024, when he and friends from different universities took the initiative to publish a literary anthology titled Tales of July—Julyer Kotha.
The initiative later evolved into a full-fledged platform as he became concerned that memories of the mass uprising were gradually fading from public memory.
“As time passed after the mass uprising, I realised that July was gradually fading from public memory. I felt that a single anthology was not enough and that continuous efforts were needed. That thought led to turning Tales of July into a full-fledged platform,” Rudra explained.
“Our goal is to keep July alive in people's minds and preserve its history. In the long run, we are trying to turn it into a research-oriented institution,” he added.
Rudra stressed the importance of documenting and preserving materials related to the uprising.
“Researching July and preserving documents are important because history can often be lost or presented differently,” he said.
