The countdown to the historic celebration of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s 100th birth anniversary begins today. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the grand show at the Tejgaon Old Airport in Dhaka where Bangabandhu landed in the freshly liberated and sovereign Bangladesh on January 10, 1972 after being released from his internment in Pakistan.
Hundreds of thousands of people registered online to witness the ceremony at the Old Airport. Countdown timers and digital billboards will be installed all around the nation to begin the yearlong celebration on March 17. It will end on March 17 next year. Chief Coordinator of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Birth Centenary Celebration National Implementation Committee Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury said a symbolic atmosphere of the return of Bangabandhu would be created during the inauguration on Friday.
The undisputed leader of the nation Bangabandhu touched the soil amidst a rapturous welcome on January 10, 1972. Through the inauguration, the countdown will begin simultaneously in every district, upazila and all public gathering places across Bangladesh. The prime minister will also inaugurate the official logo and theme song of the celebration.
The celebration is aimed at presenting the life and works of Bangabandhu before the world. Through the celebration, the government will also rebrand the country as what the foreign minister, Dr AK Abdul Momen, said Bangladesh will be branded anew across the world highlighting significant successes it made in the past years.
“We’ll brand Bangladesh abroad positively with our achievements. It’s a land of opportunity and a vibrant economy.” He said 77 Bangladesh missions had already taken 261 programmes, including introduction of Bangabandhu chair in a number of universities abroad and naming roads after Bangabandhu.
Twelve city corporations are setting up countdown clocks in the 28 points while 83 are also being set up divisional cities, 53 districts, two upazillas and Dhaka city, including Dhaka University. Many ministries, divisions, departments, socio-cultural organisations and public and private universities are also setting up devices through their own initiatives.
Bangabandhu returned to the sacred soil of independent Bangladesh via London and New Delhi, after 290 days of captivity in Pakistan jail. During Friday’s inauguration, the audience will see a historic moment -- the landing of an aircraft symbolising the homecoming of Bangabandhu.
There will be projection of light from the aircraft amid gun salute apart from symbolic reception and guard of honour, the chief coordinator, Kamal Chowdhury, said. He said they are going to celebrate the birth centenary aimed at accelerating the country’s development activities and services for building a hunger and poverty free ‘Sonar Bangla’.
“Our goal is not just to celebrate the birth centenary, but to add a new dimension in the country’s development activities and services for building ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by Bangabandhu,” he told BSS. The chief coordinator said different socio-cultural and political organisations from grassroots to national level, ministries and divisions are taking programmes to celebrate the birth centenary.
“Many programmes are being taken marking the Mujib Year. We have already selected over 299 proposals of programmes, came from home and abroad. We are providing necessary supports to implement the programmes. We have formed eight subcommittees for ensuring smooth implementation of the programmes,” he said.
The programmes include short films, screening documentaries, introducing international award in the name of Bangabandhu and Green Factory Award. Kamal Chowdhury said there will be an inauguration programme on March 17 this year where eminent personalities from home and abroad will attend.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Dr Yousef A Al-Othaimeen, former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, former Indian National Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and former Unesco Director General Irina Bokova are among the global leaders who have confirmed to come in the yearlong celebration.
The ‘Mujib Borsho’ will be followed by the golden jubilee celebrations of Bangladesh’s independence in 2021. For ensuring smooth celebration of the birth centenary, the government has formed a national committee and a national implementation committee. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been made the president of the national committee, while PM’s former principal secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury became the member secretary.
National Professor Mohammad Rafiqul Islam and PM’s former principal secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury have been made president and chief coordinator of the national implementation committee respectively.
