World Meditation Day was observed on Sunday morning at the National Press Club premises in the capital, highlighting the importance of mental wellbeing and inner peace.
With the message that mental pollution, like environmental pollution, causes suffering for individuals and society alike, the event emphasised that a sound mind contributes to harmony within families, communities and the world at large. Meditation, organisers said, has been nurturing mental wellbeing for centuries.
The programme began at 7:00 am, organised by Quantum Foundation, a voluntary organisation regarded as a pioneer of meditation practice in Bangladesh. Thousands of peace-loving people from diverse professions gathered at the Press Club, filling the venue to capacity. The event commenced with a collective affirmation of wellbeing, followed by a silent meditation session in which participants turned inward.
In an audio message, Quantum Foundation Director General Madam Nahar Al Bokhari conveyed her heartfelt gratitude and greetings to the participants.
Shahid Al Bokhari Mahajatak, inventor of the scientific meditation technique known as the Quantum Method, said in an audio address that Quantum has been promoting the philosophy “If the mind is well, everything is well” for three decades. He noted that when the United Nations declared December 21 as World Meditation Day in 2024, meditation practitioners in Bangladesh felt a deep sense of joy, similar to those around the world. Quantum declared 2025 as “The Year of Meditation,” giving renewed importance to meditation across all levels of society.
Discussions at the event focused on anxiety, stress, restlessness, trauma, fear and uncertainty arising from modern digital life, as well as psychosomatic illnesses linked to these conditions. Speakers said meditation offers a path to relief and should be promoted in households worldwide.
Several speakers shared their personal experiences with meditation, including former government secretary and former NBR chairman Dr Mohammad Abdul Majid, National Press Club executive committee member Kazi Rawnak Hossain, Broadcast Journalist Centre president and Maasranga Television Head of News Rezwanul Haque Raja, Bangladesh Photo Journalists Association president AKM Mohsin, and retired Scholastica School teacher Dr Shahida Rahman.
Media professionals and individuals from various walks of life attended the hour-long programme. World Meditation Day was also observed simultaneously in more than a hundred locations across the country, including Chattogram, Rajshahi, Barishal, Khulna and Sylhet, as well as abroad. Participants expressed hope that more people would join the growing movement for mental wellbeing, united by the belief that a healthy mind leads to a healthy life.
