The government has taken elaborate programmes to celebrate the Independence and National Day-2021 on March 26 to uphold the spirit of the War of Liberation and build a ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
On this auspicious occasion, glowing tributes will be paid to the martyrs and veterans of the War of Liberation.
The National Memorial at Savar will be the main venue of the celebration of the day where wreaths will be placed early in the morning as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the martyrs.
The day’s programmes will begin by heralding gun salute early in the morning across the country including the capital as a mark of profound respect to the heroic struggle of this nation, which suffered a protracted subjugation under foreign rules from time to time till achieving their coveted Independence in 1971.
The day is a public holiday.
The President and the Prime Minister will give messages on the occasion of the day.
The national flag will fly atop all government and private buildings while all streets and important city intersections will be decorated with national and multi-coloured miniature flags and festoons.
Important buildings and establishments as well as city streets and islands will be illuminated with colorful lights.
National dailies will bring out special supplements while Bangladesh Betar, Bangladesh Television, private radio stations and television channels will broadcast and telecast special programmes highlighting the significance of the day.
Electronic media is broadcasting various programmes based on the liberation war throughout the month.
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Bangla Academy, National Museum, Liberation War Museum, Bangladesh Shishu Academy, and other social and cultural organisations will arrange liberation war-based discussions, cultural programmes, painting competition for children, sports competition and documentary and film exhibition.
Reception will be accorded to freedom fighters and the members of martyred freedom fighters at city, zila and upazila levels, while Bangladesh Postal Office will publish commemorating postal stamps.
Special prayers will be offered in all mosques, temples, churches and other places of worship across the country seeking divine blessings for the eternal peace of the departed souls of Father of the Nation, four national leaders, martyrs of the War of Liberation and all other patriotic sons of the soil.
Improved meals will be served to the inmates of hospitals, jails, old homes, ‘Shishu Paribar’, children day care centers and orphanage centres to mark the day. The country’s all children’s parks and museums will remain open for all.
Every year, the March 26 brings the most tragic reminiscence of the history’s blackest episode that heralded a nine-month bloody ordeal from the night of March 25, 1971, achieving the long-cherished independence on December 16 the same year at the cost of a sea of blood.
Bangladesh emerged as an independent and sovereign state on December 16, 1971 with the surrender of the Pakistani occupation forces, who killed three million innocent civilians, perpetrated atrocities on two lakh Bangalee women and burnt down lakhs of houses across the country during the nine-month bloody war.
