Posted on December 16, 2018
A holiday called "Victory Day" always makes me nervous - it's almost sure to celebrate some historical bloodbath...
But this time it celebrates the END of a bloodbath. In March of 1971, West Pakistan began a "crackdown" on people in "East Pakistan" (which is now Bangladesh) who wanted independence from Pakistan.
And this crackdown turned into a horrific genocide. Millions of people were killed, and tens of millions of people fled for their lives and became refugees - and you've probably noticed how hard it is to be a refugee, even now - and certainly then.
When Indian and Bangali forces beat Pakistan, on this date in 1971, it ended nine months of violence and war. East Pakistan became Bangladesh. It is certainly something to celebrate!
All the usual:
Speeches and ceremonies, check!
Parades and fly-bys, check!
Fireworks, check!
Special programming on radio and TV, check!
Patriotic songs and flags, check!
And:
Sometimes there is even world-record-level celebration, like the time in 2013 when 27,117 volunteers held red and green blocks to form a sort of human flag!
And: Like I said, India sent troops to help stop the genocide and to help support Bangladesh. That nation, too, celebrates today with a holiday called Vijay Diwas.
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