Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad celebrated the 157th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore and 119th birth anniversary of National Poet of Bangladesh Kazi Nazrul Islam in a befitting manner and with festivity.
Expatriate Bangladeshis, students, officials of the Mission and locals joined the programme with their family members at the Chancery.
High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Islamabad Tarik Ahsan inaugurated the function and delivered the welcome speech. In his speech, he remarked that poet Rabindranath Tagore and poet Kazi Nazrul Islam exercised profound influence on shaping the founding principles of Bangladesh, namely, broadness, freedom, humanity and non-communalism as well as pride of Bengali nationalism. He maintained that both the poets spent significant parts of their lives in then East Bengal, now Bangladesh and that folk culture and struggling life of people of East Bengal became the subject of their literary creations. Mr. Tarik Ahsan said that Tagore’s love of Bengal and Nazrul’s spirit of rebellion greatly inspired Bengalis in the War of Liberation in 1971. The High Commissioner further said that, acknowledging immense contribution, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman brought National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam to the newly independent Bangladesh and conferred Bangladesh citizenship on him. The High Commissioner also referred to the recent visit of Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh to West Bengal, during which, she inaugurated ‘Bangladesh House’ in Vishwa Bharati University in Shanti Niketan and received Honorary D. Lit. degree from Nazrul University in Asansol.
In the cultural event, performers, members of Bangladesh community and children of officials performed dances, and recited poems of Rabindranath and Nazrul. Two separate video documentaries on the lives and works of Rabindranath and Nazrul were also screened.
At last, the guests were entertained by traditional Bengali food like khichuri, beef, chicken, fried fish, and vegetable as well as Bengali style yogurt and sweetmeats.