Meet Mohd Suman: Flag-seller who saw Dhaka protests up, close and personal

Dhaka: Selling national flags of the country and the now-famous headband in the thick of anti-government protests in Dhaka, Mohd Suman has seen the extraordinary story of Bangladesh unfold before his eyes, but his own story is anything but ordinary.

Moreso his name, which carries a tale of communal harmony, at a time when it is perhaps, needed the most in the violence-hit country.

Born in Dhaka in 1989, Suman sells Bangladesh flags in three sizes and headbands for a living and says he did "brisk business" during the agitation that lasted over a month.

While the anti-government protests got over after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government and her fleeing to India on August 5, Dhaka University's Teacher Student Centre (TSC) area, where he mostly sells his wares, still bears witness to smaller demonstrations by students on and off, demanding "no political interference" on campus and the early conduct of the students' union election of the varsity.

Sporting a green headband with a red circle in the centre, whose design is inspired by the national flag and is now one of the defining images of the unprecedented protests, he says this item is now the "highest in demand", especially among the students.

While resting between his job, the 35-year-old man shared his back story and how he got the name 'Suman' -- a common name used in the Hindu community.

"I was born in Dhaka to Muslim parents. Many think, my name suggests mixed parentage, but it's not the case. When my mother was pregnant, our family's neighbour, a woman from the minority Hindu community here, had told her that she would name the child after the birth. And, when I was born, she gave me the name Suman," he told PTI here.

The flag-seller who lives in the Alu Bazar area of old Dhaka where several members of the Hindu community live, says his Indian-origin father had "immigrated" to Dhaka from Calcutta (now Kolkata) around the year 1971 and made this city his home.

Like 2024, the year 1971 was also a tumultuous and historic one for Bangladesh as it emerged as a new nation after the Liberation War in which the Indian troops fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the Mukti-jodhas.

"In 2008, I had gone to Kolkata to meet our family members there. After that, I have never been to India," Suman recalled.

Asked if he felt afraid while selling flags during the violent protests, the Dhaka-born said, "Why be afraid, everyone has to die eventually".

More than 600 people have been killed in the protests in Bangladesh since mid-July against a controversial quota system in government jobs.

After unprecedented anti-government protests which reached a crescendo on August 5, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country, even as protesters had termed the fall of the government and her departure a "day of victory".

Many members of the Hindu community were also attacked after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government.

Suman said, he made a "record sell" on August 5, as protesters wanted to wear headbands on their foreheads and many waved flags, the images of which have been seen in media and online videos.

He admits that he sold the two items at "thrice the regular price" as the demand had surged on that day.

Suman shows carry bags in which he keeps extra supplies besides those displayed on his staff.

"On August 5, flags of all sizes were in demand. I sell flags of three sizes -- 3.5' x 2.5' (Tk 100), 2.5' x 1' (Tk 80) and 1.5' x 6" (Tk 50) and it was a sold out. I came in the morning and soon most items were all sold. I sold about 1,500 flags and 500 headbands," he claimed.

The old Dhaka resident said he has been selling flags for a living since 2018 and also does good business on days of cricket matches in Dhaka.

"But, on August 5, I sold much more flags than I sell on cricket match days," he said with a smile.

Before selling flags, the Alu Bazar resident said, he "worked in a flag-making factory for many years".

Suman, who speaks both Bengali and Hindi, said, he studied till class 8 in a government school and then began to support his family at a young age as income was meagre.

"I worked first as an electrician but the income was very low, so joined the flag-making factory," the Dhaka flag-seller said.

Suman said he is now among the six siblings in the family -- three brothers and three sisters -- after the other sister died few years ago.

Asked whether he relates more to his ancestral country India or Bangladesh, he quipped in chaste Bengali, "Dhaka is my home, I was born here, I am a Bangladeshi by birth and by heart".