Today is the 50th year of Bangladesh Independence

March 26 is a National Holiday in Bangladesh and today is the 50 Year Anniversary of Bangladesh Independence. The 10-day grand celebration for this 50 year milestone concludes today with a celebration of Bangladesh Independence with India’s honorable Prime Minister Modi, as the guest of honor. This represents Prime Minister Modi’s first foreign country visit since the initial COVID-19 outbreak.

The 50th anniversary is represented by the color Gold, so the events around the Bangladesh Golden Jubilee celebrates the country’s independence as well as the birth centenary of the architect of independent Bangladesh, the “Father of the Nation” (Bangabandhu), Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.  Prime Minister Mod attendance itself is momentous as it

Bangladesh Liberation War martyrs devoted their lives ”resisting injustice”

~Prime Minister Modi

HOW BANGLADESHI’s CELEBRATE THIS DAY

Independence Day is an epic celebration with parades, political speeches, fairs, concerts, ceremonies and various other public and private events celebrating the values of freedom, the lessons of history and the traditions of Bangladesh.

BANGLADESH HISTORY: WHO ARE THE MARTYRS?

Bangladesh History was steeped in heartache and the fight for freedom. There can be no greater sorrow than to survive the trauma, the loss, and the senseless murder of the country’s most notable minds – doctors, poets, artists, writers, journalists, politicians, athletes, entrepreneurs, athletes were identified and executed in from 25 March to 16 December 1971. This represented a final effort as the war was coming to an end, to kill as many intellectuals future leaders, to obstruct the standing up of a new nation of Bangladesh. On 14 December 1971, over 200 of Bangladesh’s intellectuals including professors, journalists, doctors, artists, engineers, and writers were abducted from their homes and ripped from their families in Dhaka. These Martyrs believed in the notion of Sonar Bangla, and were willing to die for their beliefs. Some notable Martyrs lost during this dark period leading up to independence:

• AFM Alim Chowdhury (doctor/ophthalmologist)
• Altaf Mahmud (lyricist and musician)
• Anwar Pasha (Bengali Literature)
•  Dhirendranath Datta (politician)
• Govinda Chandra Dev (philosophy and Dhaka Professor)
• Mohammed Fazle Rabbee (doctor/cardiologist)
• Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury (Bengali Literature)
• Munier Chowdhury (Bengali literature)
• Nizamuddin Ahmed (journalist)
• Ranadaprasad Saha (philanthropist)
• Selina Parvin (journalist)
• Shahidullah Kaiser (journalist)
• Tajuddin Ahmad, Political Leader
• Zahir Raihan , (novelist, journalist, film director) Lived and ate modestly after losing his father.

Where Is Bangladesh Now?

One of the foremost authorities on the life and politics of Bangladesh, Distinguished Political Science Professor, Dr Ali Riaz, from Illinois State University was quoted in the Associated Press: in a report titled “Born In War, Bangladesh Marks 50 years of Independence” 

“The country has made remarkable economic progress and lifted millions out of poverty, but ‘some fear its success conceals a darker turn, including concerns over its most recent election’ writes the report.. The most worrying thing in Bangladesh is the decimation of the electoral system. Not everyone is part of the country’s roaring growth. Poor people’s share in wealth, their income and opportunities are shrinking. The country is failing to create more jobs for young people.”

~Distinguished ISU Professor, Dr Ali Riaz

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