Welcome to 37 Days of Defiance
"37 Days of Defiance" is a digital archive by Mehrin Khan, dedicated to documenting and preserving the historic July 2024 Revolution of Bangladesh driven by demands for justice, reform, and national integrity. Our archive features translated posters, graffiti, slogans, and personal reflections. This platform aims to provide a comprehensive view of the events that transformed the nation, and to honor the bravery and resilience of the people who participated in the revolution.
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My name is Mehrin Khan. I'm an international student from Bangladesh, currently studying Economics and Data Science with a Leadership sequence at Claremont McKenna College, California.
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This summer, I was in Bangladesh when the world went dark for us. For 37 days, we lived under curfews, media censorship, and internet blackouts as a historic youth-led revolution, the July Uprising, unfolded. What began as a protest against an unjust quota system turned into a life-or-death struggle after the government responded with violence. Thousands were injured, and hundreds lost their lives. My younger brother was among the injured, struck by rubber bullets and tear gas.
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Despite the repression, my friends, neighbors, and I joined millions of young people who refused to back down. The chants of “Tui ke? Ami ke? Razakar, Razakar!” echoed through the streets, uniting strangers in a fight for justice. Together, we toppled a 15-year authoritarian regime, forcing the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. This was not just a protest but a movement that reshaped the nation, with students even selecting Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus as the interim government’s Chief Advisor.
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This project is my effort to preserve that historic summer. Through a memoir and a digital archive, I will document the slogans, posters, and graffiti that fueled the movement. By translating and contextualizing these artifacts, I aim to ensure the sacrifices and resilience of my generation are never forgotten. This is more than a story of Bangladesh—it’s a tribute to the universal power of youth-led activism to bring about change, even in the darkest times.