“The celebrations will begin with fireworks at 8 pm at the Suhrawardy Udyan tomorrow, marking Bangabandhu’s birth moment,” the Birth Centenary Celebration National Implementation Committee’s chief coordinator Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury told a media briefing this afternoon.
The organizers selected Suhrawardy Udyan for the inauguration of the Mujib Year with fireworks, considering the site to be historic as Bangabandhu had delivered his momentous March 7, 1971 speech leading to the Liberation War and eventual independence.
Chowdhury said the fireworks would be immediately followed by nationwide broadcast of President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s address.
The countdown for the celebration’s opening began on January 10 last
coinciding with Bangabandhu’s homecoming in 1972, as the founder of the newly
born Bangladesh, after nine months of captivity in Pakistan.
The nation, meanwhile, had waged its war for independence in line with his
directions and earned the victory.
On March 17 one hundred years ago, Bangabandhu was born to a respected
family at Tungipara village of the then Gopalganj sub-division, now district
as the third among six children of Sheikh Lutfur Rahman and Saira Khatun.
The history had set his course to be the architect of independent
Bangladesh and the greatest Bangalee of all times after protracted struggle
and personal sacrifices.
Organisers said the global coronavirus pandemic forced them to scale down
the inauguration fanfare revising the schedule trying to keep most of the
programmes indoors to discard public gatherings.
But the President and the premier would lay wreaths at Bangabandhu’s shrine
at Tungipara in Gopalganj tomorrow morning and offer fateha and munajat as
per original schedule.
Under the original plan, the celebration was set to be opened drawing
thousands of people at the National Parade Ground tomorrow.
A scheduled gathering of children at Tungipara and in primary schools
across Bangladesh tomorrow were also scrapped due to COVID-19.
Sheikh Hasina, who is Bangabandhu’s elder daughter, will also place
wreaths at Bangabandhu’s portrait at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at
Dhanmondi Road No. 32 in the capital ahead of travelling to Tungipara.
Different socio-cultural and political organisations from grassroots to
national levels, ministries and divisions have drawn up programmes to
celebrate the birth centenary opening.
At the press conference of the International Mother Language Institute (IMLI),
Chowdhury said after the fireworks at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan,
the recorded two-hour long inaugural programme will kick off.
The recorded programme includes the speeches of the President and the prime
minister.
The programme will be aired at all electronic media, including Bangladesh
Television (BTV), Bangladesh Betar, online and social media simultaneously,
he added.
Bangabandhu’s younger daughter Sheikh Rehana will also express her feelings
on Bangabandhu during the programme, he added.
He said presidents and prime ministers of different countries, including
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari,
Bhutanese Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering and Secretary General of the
United Nations Antonio Guterres and Secretary General of the Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen will deliver messages
on the occasion.
The inauguration function will end after another firework at the South
Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad, Chowdhury added.
Bangabandhu’s birthday is a public holiday in Bangladesh and it is also
observed as National Children’s Day.
The ruling Awami League has drawn up revised programmes including -hoisting
of party flags atop all AL offices across the country including Bangabandhu
Bhaban and AL’s Bangabandhu Avenue central office at 6am on March 17, paying
homage to Bangabandhu by placing wreaths at his portrait at 7am.
Besides, a delegation of the party’s central working committee led by AL
President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will pay homage to Bangabandhu by
placing a wreath at his mazar (shrine) at Tungipara in Gopalganj and join a
doa mahfil there tomorrow.
Special prayers will be arranged at all religious institutions across the
country while orphans and destitute people will be distributed special foods.
Under the initiative of Dhaka City North AL, orphans and destitute people
will be given foods and sweets on the premises of Baitul Mukarram National
Mosque and Banani Korail slum. Identical programmes will be held across the
country.
Marking the ‘Mujib Year’, Bangladesh Bank (BB) will issue regular currency
notes and commemorative notes of Taka 200 on Wednesday.
Besides, the central bank will also issue Taka 100 denomination
commemorative gold and silver coins and Taka 100 commemorative notes from the
day.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry has taken an initiative to plant around one crore saplings across the country.
(BSS)
