Dhaka, March 8 -- March 7, 1971 is a date that's indelibly etched in the hearts and minds of Bengalis worldwide with due pride and justification. And if not, it ought to be.

Momentarily forget Padma Bridge, the Metro, and suchlike. As great as they are, they are pale achievements in comparison. It was on this Allah-blessed, sun-kissed day that work began on the greatest construction ever known in the history of the region.

There wasn't a bulldozer, crane, yellow-jacketed people wearing hard hats, or heavy earth moving equipment in sight. Nor were there any jackhammers that make your ears beg for mercy.

This was no ordinary foundation stone that was being laid and those who attended the ceremony - all two million of them - no doubt felt...