DHAKA, March 17, 2023 (BSS) - Dhaka University (DU) former Vice-Chancellor and Bangabandhu Parishad acting President Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique today said Bangabandhu's birthday is a significant day for Bangalee nation as Bangabandhu and Bangladesh are synonymous.
"If Bangabandhu were not born, Bangladesh would not have been born," he said while presiding over a discussion titled "Bangabandhu and Emergence of Nation State" at Jatiya Press Club Abdus Salam Hall here.
Bangabandhu Parishad organised the discussion on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and National Children's Day.
Prof Arefin, also chairman of the board of directors of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), said Bangabandhu didn't observe his birthday and he was not in the habit of cutting cakes on his birthday. Bangabandhu's birthday was observed in a very simple manner at his residence, he said.
"On his birthday, Bangabandhu used to do only thing that he spent time with children. It proves how much children-friendly Bangabandhu was," he said.
Noting that Bangabandhu had made primary education mandatory for the betterment of children, Prof Arefin said Bangabandhu considered the babies born to Bangali women consequent of their being raped by Pakistani soldiers as war-babies.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Sharfuddin Ahmed, DU Social Science Faculty Dean and Bangabandhu Parishad Presidium Member Prof Dr Zia Rahman, Bangabandhu Parishad General Secretary Prof ABM Faroque addressed the discussion, among others.
Bangabandhu Parishad Presidium Member and BSS former City Editor Ajit Kumar Sarkar presented the keynote paper in the discussion.
In his keynote, Ajit Saker said Bangladesh didn't emerge as a nation state all on a sudden as a leader's dream and farsighted thoughts were connected with it and the leader is the Greatest Bangalee of All Time, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Because of his farsighted thought, Bangabandhu had dreamt of independence of Bangladesh during his youth 24 years before the birth of Bangladesh, he mentioned.
He said there were two reasons for appearing the thoughts of freedom and independence of the Bangalee nation in the mind of Bangabandhu; one is communal politics of Muslim League and other is the partition of India in an unequal process.
Ajit Sarkar said Bangabandhu's main thought was to achieve the emancipation of Bangalee nation and he had spent more than 13 years of his life in life to achieve independence of this soil.
After the discussion, a cultural function was held.
Earlier, Bangabandhu Parishad leaders paid homage to Bangabandhu by placing wreaths at his portrait on the premises of Bangabandhu Bhaban at Dhanmondi road number 32 in the city at 11am.
SOURCE: BANGLADESH SANGBAD SANGSTHA