Independence Day
Nation set to celebrate Independence Day Saturday
Bangladesh is all set to celebrate the 52nd Independence and National Day on Saturday amid programmes that feature paying homage to the Liberation War martyrs and vow to materialise their dreams.
On March 26, 1971, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman proclaimed Bangladesh's independence following the crackdown on unarmed Bangalees on the midnight of March 25 by Pakistani occupation forces.
After a nine-month War of Liberation with the supreme sacrifices of three million people and the honour of 200,000 women, Bangladesh finally achieved its victory on December 16, 1971.
Read: One-min blackout to mark Genocide Day tonight
The day, which is a public holiday, will begin with 21-gun salute and placing of wreaths at the National Memorial at Savar in honour of the Liberation War martyrs.
President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will place wreaths early in the morning showing profound respect to the memories of the martyrs.
National flag will be hoisted at all government, semi-government, private, autonomous buildings with the sunrise and all the significant buildings, establishments will be illuminated.
National dailies will bring out special supplements while Bangladesh Betar, Bangladesh Television, private radio stations and television channels will air special programmes highlighting the significance of the day.
Bangla Academy, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Shishu Academy, National Museum, Liberation War Museum and other social, cultural organizations will arrange seminars, cultural programmes, painting and sports competitions for children as well as screening films, documentaries on the liberation war.
Freedom fighters and martyr’s families will be honoured on metropolitan, district and upazila level. Bangladesh Post Office Department will unveil a special commemorative stamp to mark the day.
Meanwhile different religious organizations will hold special prayers and doa mehfil praying for the country's peace, development and prosperity.
On the eve of the day, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages extending heartfelt greetings and warm felicitations to the countrymen at home and abroad.
Read: AL appeals for global recognition of 1971 genocide
In his message, President Abdul Hamid said, “In order to achieve the desired goal of Independence, we must ensure people-oriented and sustainable development, good governance, social justice, transparency and accountability. Forbearance, human rights and rule of law have to be consolidated for institutionalizing democracy.”
“It is our sacred duty to ensure a safe, happy, beautiful and prosperous Bangladesh for the new generation,” he added.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina in her message said, “We are fortunate to have simultaneously celebrated the 2020-2021 birth centenary of the Father of the Nation, Mujib Barsha, and the Golden Jubilee of independence through colorful programs.”
She also urged all to be united and nurture the spirit and ideals of the Great Liberation War and participate in building the hunger-poverty-free, self-confident and self-respecting 'Golden Bangladesh' of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s dream.
Bangladesh set to celebrate Independence Day on Saturday
Bangladesh is all set to celebrate the 51st Independence and National Day on Saturday amid programmes that feature paying homage to the Liberation War martyrs and vow to materialise their dreams.
On March 26, 1971, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman proclaimed Bangladesh's independence following the crackdown on unarmed Bangalees on the midnight of March 25 by Pakistani occupation forces.
After a nine-month War of Liberation with the supreme sacrifices of three million people and the honour of 200,000 women, Bangladesh finally achieved its victory on December 16, 1971.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will issue separate messages extending heartfelt greetings and warm felicitations to Bangladesh citizens at home and abroad.
The day, which is a public holiday, will begin with gun-salute and placing of wreaths at the National Memorial at Savar in honour of the Liberation War martyrs.
Also read: Not chanting 'Joy Bangla' means undermining independence : PM
National flag will be hoisted at all government, semi-government, private, autonomous buildings with the sunrise and all the significant buildings, establishments will be illuminated.
National dailies will bring out special supplements while Bangladesh Betar, Bangladesh Television, private radio stations and television channels will air special programmes highlighting the significance of the day.
Bangla Academy, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Shishu Academy, National Museum, Liberation War Museum and other social, cultural organizations will arrange seminars, cultural programmes, painting and sports competitions for children as well as screening films, documentaries on the liberation war.
Freedom fighters and martyr’s families will be honoured on metropolitan, district and upazila level. Bangladesh Post Office Department will unveil a special commemorative stamp to mark the day.
Meanwhile different religious organizations will hold special prayers and doa mehfil praying for the country's peace, development and prosperity.
Also read: BNP works out Independence Day programme
Special quality food will be distributed at institutions like hospitals, jail, child home, old age home and day care centers.
Children’s parks, museums will remain open for all throughout the day. Also vessels of Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard will remain open from 2 pm till evening for people to visit at Chattogram Khulna, Mongla, Payra port, and BBangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) terminals in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Barishal and Chandpur.
Similar programmes at district, upazila level, and Bangladesh embassies in different countries will be arranged to highlight the significance of the Independence Day.
Washington DC Mayor greets Bangladesh ahead of Independence Day
Mayor of Washington DC Muriel Bowser has extended her heartfelt greetings to the people of Bangladesh on the occasion of the country's 52nd Independence and National Day to be celebrated on March 26.
"In recognition of your National Day on March 26, 2022, I would like to wish you a Happy Independence Day," the Mayor said.
The Washington DC Mayor conveyed the greetings through a message sent to Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States M Shahidul Islam, according to a message received from the Embassy.
READ: US Under Secretary Nuland due Saturday to deepen ties with Bangladesh
On behalf of the residents of Washington, DC, Muriel Bowser also wished the people of Bangladesh continuous peace, progress and prosperity.
Daraz organises roadshow to celebrate 50 years of Bangladesh's Independence
E-commerce site Daraz Friday (March 26, 2021) arranged a roadshow with its 50 Dex (Daraz Express) delivery vans to celebrate 50 years of Bangladesh's Independence.
Through this roadshow, the online marketplace also celebrated the setting up of its hubs in 64 districts of the country.
The roadshow continued from 9am to 2pm on March 26 where the Dex vans circled Dhaka city.
Daraz Managing Director Syed Mostahidal Hoq said, "We are delighted to be a part of the grand celebration Bangladesh is hosting on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of its Independence."
The roadshow created a spectacular sight as 50 delivery vans crowded the streets of the capital portraying historical quotes and pictures from 1971.
Read Celebrating the Month of Independence with Daraz
Also read, Daraz and RedX to create a better ecosystem for customers
Independence Day: PM Hasina pays homage to Bangabandhu
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Friday morning on the occasion of Bangladesh’s Independence and National Day.
On her return from the National Memorial at Savar, the Prime Minister paid homage to the Father of the Nation by placing a wreath at his portrait in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32 in the city.
After placing the wreaths, she stood there in solemn silence for some time as a mark of deep respect to the memory of Bangabandhu, the architect of Bangladesh Independence.
Sheikh Rehana, the youngest daughter of Bangabandhu, was present on the occasion.
Independence Day: President, PM pay tributes to martyrs of Liberation War
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War by placing wreaths at the National Memorial at Savar on Friday morning, marking Bangladesh’s Independence and National Day.
This year, the country is celebrating the Golden Jubilee of its Independence.
President Hamid first placed wreaths at the altar of the memorial followed by the Prime Minister.
After placing the wreaths, the President and the Prime Minister stood there in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the martyrs of the 1971 great Liberation War.
BNP postponed Independence Day event to avoid embarrassment: Obaidul Quader
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader said that the BNP postponed its programme on the golden jubilee of independence as the party will face an embarrassing situation over some settled issues of history.
He said this at a discussion meeting organized by Dhaka Metropolitan North and South Awami League on Awami League party office, 23 Bangabandhu Avenue on the occasion of Genocide Day this morning.
He virtually attended the programme from his official residence while President of Dhaka Metropolitan North Awami League presided over the programme.
Also read: BNP brings changes to Independence Day prog
Obaidul Quader also remarked that the decision to postpone the programme on the pretext of Corona taken by the BNP is ‘mysterious’.
On this day in 1971, at midnight, the barbaric Pakistani aggressors attacked the unarmed Bengalis all over the country including the capital Dhaka. Their main goal was to silence the Bengalis forever, he also said.
Quader informed that although various programs marking the 25th of March, the day of genocide is taken every year on the occasion of the day. Due to the coronavirus situation, the day is being celebrated on a limited scale this year.
Also read: Covid-19: BNP postpones Golden Jubilee progs until March 30
Awami League presidium member Jahangir Kabir Nanak, joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, Dr Dipu Moni, organizing secretary Mirza Azam, SM Kamal Hossain were present at 23 Bangabandhu Avenue.
Awami League North general secretary SM Mannan Kochi and South Awami League general secretary Md Humayun Kabir and other central and metropolitan leaders were present.
Bangladesh set to celebrate Independence Day Friday
Bangladesh, a newly-emerged developing nation, is all set to celebrate its 50th Independence Day on Friday with remarkable socio-economic progress.
This year’s Independence Day bears more significance as the country is celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Independence alongside the birth centenary celebration of Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
A 10-day special programme marking the 50 years of independence and the birth centenary of Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that started on March 17 at the National Parade Square will end on Friday.
Indian Prime Minister Modi will join the celebrations.
Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh records 3-month high 34 deaths; 3,587 fresh cases
Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Bhutanese Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering also attended the 10-day special programme in person.
Many global leaders, including Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Francis, Chinese President Xi Jinping, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Unesco Director General Audrey Azoulay sent messages, marking the celebrations.
On March 26, 1971, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared Bangladesh's independence following the crackdown on unarmed Bangalees on the midnight of March 25 by Pakistani occupation forces.
After a nine-month War of Liberation with the supreme sacrifices of three million people and the honour of 200,000 women, Bangladesh finally achieved its independence on December 16, 1971.
Also read: With focus on taking ties to a new height, Modi arrives Friday
The day will begin with a 50 gun-salute which is a public holiday.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages extending heartfelt greetings and warm felicitations to the people of the country at home and abroad.
President Abdul Hamid, in his message, said, “On the eve of 'Mujib Barsho' and the Golden Jubilee of our Independence, with the joint efforts of all, may our beloved motherland become a developed country free from hunger and poverty -- this is my expectation on the great Independence Day.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said, “The independence earned through the supreme sacrifices of millions of people is the greatest achievement of Bangalee Nation. To ensure that the achievement remains meaningful, all have to know the true history of our great Liberation War and respect the spirit of independence. The spirit of the Liberation War has to be propagated from generations to generations.”
Also read: Bangladesh celebrates Independence Day with caution
“Let’s vow on this auspicious occasion of the Golden Jubilee of independence- imbued with the spirit of the Great War of Liberation, we all together will build hunger- poverty- and illiteracy-free Golden Bangladesh as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” she added.
National dailies will bring out special supplements while Bangladesh Betar, Bangladesh Television, private radio stations and television channels are airing special programmes highlighting the significance of the day.
Don’t allow development and democratic progress to be disrupted: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged people to take a vow afresh not to allow anyone to hinder Bangladesh’s democratic and development progress by playing ducks and drakes with their fate.
“On this auspicious occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Independence, we’ve to vow afresh that no one can play ducks and drakes with the fate of the people of Bangladesh. No one can hinder the country’s democratic and development progress,” she said.
The Prime Minister was addressing the nation on the eve of Independence Day 2021.
State-owned Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar simultaneously broadcast the Prime Minister’s speech at 7:30 pm on Thursday. Private television channels and radio stations also aired the speech.
The Prime Minister called upon people to work for building Bangladesh as a developed, prosperous and non-communal Sonar Bangla (Golden Bengal) as dreamt by the Father of the Nation.
“Let’s build Bangladesh as a developed, prosperous and non-communal Sonar Bangla by forgetting all the differences and being imbued with the spirit of the Liberation War,” she said.
Noting that the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Independence just should not be a formality, she said, “On the occasion of the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation and the Golden Jubilee of Independence, we’ve to take vow afresh to take our country to a new height.”
Also read: Make a vow to implement Bangabandhu’s dreams: PM
Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh has achieved an unimaginable success in the socio-economic index as a result of her government’s tireless works over the past 12 years.
Last month, she said, Bangladesh received the final recommendation to graduate from the least developed country (LDC) group.
“Bangladesh has not only surpassed its neighbours in various indexes like life expectancy, gender equality, universal primary education, women education, women's political rights, women and child mortality, sanitation and food availability, but also exceeded many developed countries in many cases,” she said.
But the path of this development has not been smooth at all as the anti-liberation forces inside and outside the country carried out various ill-motivated activities to hinder the progress of Bangladesh. “This process still continues. So, we all will have to resist all the anti-state attempts by playing the role of vigilant watchdogs.”
Sheikh Hasina said passing half a century of independence is a significant milestone for the life of a nation.
“For us, this Golden Jubilee celebration has become more colorful as Bangladesh Awami League, forming the government, started running the government with the ideology of Liberation War. Today, Bangladesh has stood raising its head in the world as a proud country proving all the negative and pessimistic predictions against Bangladesh wrong, she said.
Even a decade ago, Sheikh Hasina said, Bangladesh was presented as an example of poverty. “But today development experts are presenting Bangladesh as a role model for poverty alleviation and development.”
Also read: Develop the habit of reading: PM Hasina
Presenting the current picture of several socio-economic indicators compared to the 2005-06 fiscal year, she said the per capita income increased to US$ 2,064 now from just US$ 543, while the poverty rate dropped to 20.5 percent from 41.5 percent, the GDP size rose to Tk 2800,000 crore from only Tk 482,337 crore, and the foreign currency reserve to US$ 44 billion from only US$ 0.744 billion during the period.
She said the budget size has increased to Tk 568,000 crore in the current fiscal year from only Tk 61,000 crore in 2005-06 fiscal year, while the average life expectancy to 72.6 years in 2019-20 fiscal from 59 years in 2005-06 fiscal, the infant mortality rate has come down to 28 from 84 per thousand, the maternal mortality rate to 165 from 370 per lakh and the power generation capacity has increased to 24,421 megawatt from 4,900 megawatt. “Today's achievement is, in fact, the achievement of the common people of this country,” she added.
She said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had declared the Independence of Bangladesh in the early hours of March 26, 1971 just before he was arrested by Pakistani army. His announcement spread across the country through the wireless of the then EPR, she said.
The independence of Bangladesh had come as the result of the 24-year continuous political struggle. And Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had led from the front in this struggle from the beginning to the end, said Sheikh Hasina, also the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu.
Also read: PM Hasina leads from front in battle against pandemic: Envoy
“Today, we’re proud citizens of independent and sovereign Bangladesh thanks to the birth of that great man named Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib. Today, we’re proud of our own country, language and culture because he was born,” said the PM.
Sheikh Mujib is the creator of a country and a state. “So, we’re celebrating his birth centenary and the golden jubilee of independence simultaneously,” she said.
On the eve of the Independence Day, the PM extended her sincere greetings to all the citizens of Bangladesh living at home and abroad.
Sheikh Hasina thanked the people of Bangladesh for keeping Bangladesh Awami League, the political party that led the Liberation War, in power while celebrating these two important milestones in the national life.
'50 Springs of Freedom’ art camp to begin in Chattogram on Independence Day
As part of the year-long special events and activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Independence, Gallery Cosmos is arranging an exclusive Art Camp titled ’50 Springs of Freedom’ on Friday (March 26, 2021), also the Independence Day of Bangladesh.
With a collective vision to portray the colorful vibes of Spring, the king of all seasons, blending with the festive occasion of the glorious Golden Jubilee celebration of freedom - Hidden Her Foundation will host the special art camp, with support from the Cosmos Foundation.
Also read: ‘The Black Story’ exhibition by Gallery Cosmos launched virtually
In quest for exploring the innate and everlasting connection between human and nature, and celebrate the unified harmony of brush, color and canvas through their jovial artistic expertise, eight leading and promising painters of the country will participate in the four day-long camp from March 26 at Finley Hill, Chattogram.
The list of stalwart participators in the camp is featuring a unique team of eminent and promising artists, including Samarjit Roy Chowdhury, Kanak Chanpa Chakma, Anisuzzaman Anis, Anukul Chandra Mazumder, Azmeer Hossain, Bishwajit Goswami, Abdullah Al Bashir & Mong Mong Sho.
Also read: Enthralling artworks showcase Sheikh Hasina's eventful life at Gallery Cosmos
Regarding the camp, Executive Artistic Manager of Gallery Cosmos Sourav Chowdhury said, "To celebrate the glorious occasion of our 50 years celebration of Independence alongside harmonizing the artistic essence of 50 Springs with all of its vibrant colors, Gallery Cosmos and host Hidden Her Foundation, is proudly organizing this special art camp with support from the Cosmos Foundation."
The art camp will conclude on March 28. United News of Bangladesh (UNB) is the Media Partner of the event.
Also read: Curtain rises on first-ever virtual exhibition on Bangabandhu by Gallery Cosmos