39th Bangladesh Independence and National Day Celebration

The Rochdale based Bangladesh Association And Community Project (BACP) organised a gala evening to mark the 39th Independence Anniversary and National Day of Bangladesh on Tuesday 30th March at local Richmond Hall. This was a grand occasion when the whole community came together and celebrated in a spirit of fun and happiness.

Mr. Muhibur Rahman, the current Chairman of the Association, welcomed everyone and expressed his delight in seeing so many people from different sections of the community including children and families coming together to enjoy the event. He observed that events like this gave opportunities to those settled in the UK to partake and share their joy along with other communities living in their midst and, therefore, a wonderful occasion for community cohesion.

More than 400 people attended. The function was addressed by the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh, Mr. Asad Alam Siam, the Mayor of Rochdale Cllr Keith Swift, the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Zulfiqar Ali, and several other guests. The guests were entertained to a video presentation on the history, culture, heritage and prospects of Bangladesh.

During the event, prizes were distributed to the winners of ‘Sundar Kore Bangla Likhi’ competition organised by the Bengali TV channel, Channel S. It may be mentioned that children from Bongobir Osmani Community School, run by BACP, bagged two prizes in this countrywide competition. Mohammad Tahsin Asraf Khan came 2nd and Iftikar Ahmed 3rd in the 6-11 age group in the final round while Mirza Sarwar Baig won in the regional round in the 11-16 age group. BACP’s Osmani Community School was the only institution from the northwest to win. Ward Councillor Farooq Ahmed sponsored the prizes. Certificates were also given to other participants in the competition and to the regular school attendees.

This was followed by a sumptuous dinner and a grand cultural programme. A Crewe based dance group presented the culture of Bangladesh through a dance drama which was immensely enjoyed by all. There were also visiting performers from London and the audience joined in to make what has been a wonderful evening.

The whole programme was presided over by Mr. Boshir Ahmed, the General Secretary of the Association.