Mojai was a driver during the war and used to carry the wounded to safety. One day, his vehicle turned upside down during a raid by the Pakistani Army. Both his legs were amputated from the waist down. Now most of his time is spent in his wheel chair or lying in bed.
"You remember us for only two or three days a year. The rest of our
time is spent on this floor in turmoil and illness" - said Mojai, a veteran
of the war of independence of Bangladesh, now a resident of the rehabilitation
centre for war veterans.
During the nine months of war in 1971, after which Bangladesh seperated from
Pakistan, three million people lost their lives. Thousands of soldiers and
civilians lost arms and legs. The injured and disabled freedom fighters have
still not been properly rehabilitated. They are ignored by the nation at large
and hidden away from mainstream society, their lives stretching ahead —
friendless, jobless, and lonely.