Bangladesh Embassy in Rome on the occasion of Bangabandhu's 102nd Birth Anniversary and National Children's Day 2022

 

Minhaj Hossain from Italy: 

The Embassy of Bangladesh, Rome, Italy celebrated the 102nd birth anniversary and National Children's Day of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the greatest Bengali nation of all time today (March 16, 2022) with great enthusiasm. Among the ceremonies organized by the embassy on this special day were the official hoisting of the national flag, laying of wreaths at the portrait of the Father of the Nation, one minute silence in memory of the Father of the Nation and heroic martyrs of Liberation War, recitation of Bani, Doa and Munajat Discussion meetings with the participation of negotiators and pleasant cultural programs with the participation of expatriate children and adolescents. The results of the children's drawing and composition competition organized on the occasion of the day were also announced.

At 9.31 am, Ambassador Md. Shamim Ahsan officially started the day's program by hoisting the national flag with the national anthem. At 10.00 am, at the beginning of the special program organized on the digital platform on the occasion of the day in the meeting room of the embassy, ​​the speeches of the President, Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs were read. In a special discussion meeting on the importance and significance of the day, representatives of various social, cultural and political organizations and expatriate Bangladeshi citizens participated.

At the beginning of his speech, Ambassador Md. Shamim Ahsan remembered Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and all the heroic martyrs of the great liberation war with deep respect. He said Bangabandhu not only led the Bengali nation in achieving independence, but also inspired the freedom struggle of the oppressed freedom-loving people all over the world and would continue to inspire the people in the future as well. The ambassador said Bangabandhu's dream was to give political and economic emancipation to the Bengalis. He has been campaigning all his life for the realization of this right of the masses and he has spent almost 13 years in jail in different terms. Bangabandhu's mesmerizing personality and magical leadership united the whole nation and as a result Bengalis got an independent and sovereign Bangladesh. In his speech, the Ambassador highlighted how the human qualities of Bangabandhu's adolescent life and his deep affection for children drew everyone's attention. He further said that the role model of the father of the nation would serve as a source of constant inspiration to the Bengalis. The Ambassador sheds light on how Bangabandhu's visible genuine love for children from childhood to adulthood is reflected in the great leader's political philosophy "Love for the People". In this context, Mr. Ahsan mentioned the various activities undertaken by Bangabandhu and his daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the welfare of children. He also emphasized the need to educate children about the life and work of Bangabandhu.

After that the selected part from Bangabandhu's 'unfinished autobiography' was read and in it representatives of the younger generation besides the embassy officials participated. Sanchari Sangeetayan, a cultural organization of expatriate Bangladeshis, adds a new dimension to its colorful cultural program for children and adolescents. At this stage, a video compilation of greetings from world leaders on the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was displayed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The auditorium is festively decorated to mark the birthday of the Father of the Nation. The hall, which is visually decorated with banners, festoons, balloons and portraits of Bangabandhu, creates a festive atmosphere for the celebration of Bangabandhu's birthday in exile. A large number of expatriate Bangladeshi children and adolescents spontaneously participated in the drawing and composition competition organized on the occasion of the day. At the end of the program, the names of the children and teenagers who spontaneously participated in the competition were announced and the end of the program was announced by cutting a cake on the occasion of Bangabandhu's birthday.

The event was held at the embassy in limited numbers and on the online platform Zoom in the presence of members of the embassy only, following strict hygiene rules imposed by the Italian government in the wake of the Covid epidemic.