Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami has said Bangladesh and India will have much to do in the next 50 years to build on the foundation of the two countries’ friendship and history together.

“We’ve made important achievements especially in the last decade,” he said, mentioning that the two countries are the closest partners in the political, diplomatic, commercial, economic, developmental, cultural, security, and even people-to-people fronts.

The High Commissioner said they must now ensure that future generations understand this history because it is the youth of today who will make this partnership irreversible.

“Doing so would be a truly fitting contribution to the millions of Bangladeshi martyrs who gave their all for this country,” said the High Commissioner while addressing a reception on Monday evening.

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka hosted the reception and cultural programme at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre as part of the first Bangladesh-India Friendship Day.

Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhary graced the occasion as the chief guest. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdu Momen, senior representatives from the government of Bangladesh, including Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, the Chief of the Army Staff, Secretaries to the Government, senior officials, IGP of Police, leaders of business and industry, media, academia and civil society were present.

Doraiswami said the liberation of Bangladesh changed the political map of South-Asia. “But it also changed our ideological map: your freedom proved beyond doubt that the common bonds of culture, civilization, and language transcend the false theory that different religious groups cannot live together.”

He said the liberation struggle also emphasized the inevitability of the victory of truth and justice over brutality and oppression. “The War of Liberation and our close alliance and partnership in freeing Bangladesh from Pakistani oppression had many components that secured the victory of December 16.”

The High Commissioner said these included the coordination of diplomatic and geopolitical strategies; management of domestic social stability in areas where traumatized Bangladeshi citizens took refuge; management of relief operations, and of course, tactical and strategic military cooperation. “But our partnership went much further.”

Bangladeshi nationals selected for India’s highest civilian honours, in the years 2020 and 2021, were specially invited and felicitated in presence of the august gathering.

The day marks the recognition of an independent and sovereign Bangladesh, by India and Bhutan, fifty years ago – ten days before Bangladesh was actually liberated.

The celebrations culminated in a grand cultural performance by Gaan Bangla, under direction of Kaushik Hossain Taposh, Managing Director and CEO.

As many as 50 eminent artists, including from India and Bangladesh performed on this occasion.

A video, produced by the Government of Bangladesh to showcase the history of the bilateral relationship from the 1971 Liberation War to the present-day Shonali Adhyay was also screened in Dhaka.

A crowd sourced logo and backdrop for the event, jointly selected by both countries through an open competition, was displayed in Dhaka as well as across the world.

This landmark celebration, the High Commission says, reaffirms the shared commitment of both countries to further strengthen the uniquely-close friendship, founded on shared values, culture and ethos and based on mutual trust, respect and understanding.

The decision to mark December 6 as ‘Maitri Diwas' was taken by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the State visit of Prime Minister Modi to Bangladesh in March this year.

As testimony to the unique foundations of friendship and the remarkable journey of Bangladesh over the past 50 years, both countries are celebrating the day not only in Delhi and Dhaka, but in 18 other cities worldwide.