On March 26, 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared Bangladesh’s independence in a radio announcement. This declaration sparked a ferocious military response by West Pakistan’s ruling government. The Declaration of Independence and Pakistan response marked the beginning of the 9-month long Bangladesh Liberation War.

The Liberation of Bangladesh series 
Sheik Mujibur Rahman
Support Bangladesh
Map of Bangladesh
Proclamation of Independent Government
Ballot Box
Flag of Independence
Dacca University Massacre
75 Million People
Issued: July 29, 1971
Designed by Biman Chand Mullick

Bangladesh issued a series of stamps in 1971 during the war for independence. Biman Chand Mullick designed the series that explored different aspects of Bangladesh’s struggle, including the brutal massacre at Dacca University.

With no official post office established, the Bangladesh Philatelic Agency was assigned the job of selling the stamps. $23,000 (US) worth were sold on the first day in the UK alone. The stamps were used by the Bangladesh government internally and externally and accepted by the Indian government as legitimate postage.  

In an interview with #BDPreneurs, Mullick explained his thinking when he designed the stamps: 

“I am basically a storyteller and that’s what I do with all my creations. And somehow as I look at my artwork now, I find that I have protested in every one of them. Be it the Gandhi stamp, or the Bangladesh stamp series or the anti-smoking movement posters,” Biman explained. 

Fast-rewind back to 1971. “Back in London I was working as a visiting teacher in graphic design at the Folkstone School of Arts and Crafts. And every day as I was listening to the news on the radio, I felt helpless. 

“One day I heard that the Pakistani army killed students of the University of Dhaka and I couldn’t sleep that night. All I could think was I am a teacher myself. I cannot imagine something like this happening to my students,” Biman recalled. 

As a result of a series of events, Biman was called upon in 1971 to design the first set of stamps for Bangladesh and was given no instruction as to how to proceed. At that opportune moment, he did not hesitate, rather quickly got to work.  

“The world map did not have ‘Bangladesh’ on it up until then. So my idea was to introduce the nation and its birth history to the world. And I figured that I needed eight stamps to tell the story. It took me six weeks to finalise the designs,” he said. For the design itself, Biman took only nine days. 

The interview is an excellent, rare glimpse into the early designs of Bangladesh’s postal designs. You can find the entire interview here: Meet the man who introduced Bangladesh to the world through his stamps – #BDPreneursMeet the man who introduced Bangladesh to the world through his stamps – #BDPreneurs.  

If you would like to see Biman’s design process for these stamps, check out The First Eight Stamps – Biman Mullick. The site has photographs of Biman’s notebook sketches, as well as commentary by Biman. It’s an extensive site that is a must see for any lover of design. Rarely do we get a chance to see the design process in such detail.