Bangladesh, Aug. 9 -- The Liberation War of 1971 was not the "romantic" story often told about it, writer and columnist Farhad Mazhar has said.

He urged young people to pursue social change with honesty and patience rather than rushing towards war.

"The romantic story told about the Liberation War was not romantic. I would tell young people not to talk about war so quickly. The path of social change must be chosen with honesty and patience," he said.

Farhad was speaking at a discussion marking his 80th birthday at the World Literature Centre on Sunday.

Recalling the war and his political experiences, he said, "We had an extremely heroic struggle. But Bengali nationalists later erased the entire story. The reality of the 1971 Liberati...