Bangladesh embassy observes National Mourning Day 2021

The Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul observed National Mourning Day 2021 to mark the 46th martyrdom anniversary of Bangladesh’s first president, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is known as the “father of the nation,” Sunday.

As part of the program, Bangladesh Ambassador Abida Islam and embassy officials lowered Bangladesh’s national flag to half-mast, wearing black badges as they paid homage to Bangabandhu.

The ambassador unveiled the compilation of Bangabandhu’s historic 7th March Speech, translated in Korean and the six official languages of the United Nations.

The embassy observed one minute of silence in memory of Bangabandhu and his family members who were assassinated on Aug. 15, 1975 via a virtual platform and offered a special prayer for the salvation and peace of the departed souls of Bangabandhu and his family, as well as for the prosperity and welfare of Bangladesh.

The embassy officials read out messages from Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Abul Kalam Abdul Momen in memory of Bangabandhu.

A prerecorded online discussion program titled “Bangabandhu and Global Peace” was also screened, attended by Director of the Asia Policy Center at the Seoul National University Sung Yong-kang as keynote speaker, who delivered a speech titled “Commemorating Bangabandhu, the Founding Father of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh: Imagination and Inspiration That Bangabandhu Throws on the Korean Peninsula Today.”

Sung highlighted similarities in Bangladesh and Korea’s history in the struggle for independence, spoke on the protection of the two countries’ mother tongues and underlined Bangabandhu‘s philosophy and initiatives in establishing world peace, while discussing establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum curator Nazrul Islam Khan and ambassador Abida Islam recalled Bangabandhu’s nonviolent political philosophy, balanced foreign policy and earnest efforts to establish world peace and harmony.

Ambassador Islam introduced the Bangabandhu Peace Prize as part of the “Mujib Year” celebration.

“As an initiative of the Bangladesh government to spread a culture of peace and tolerance all over the world, forthcoming ‘Peace Conference’ to be held in Dhaka in December 2021 would inspire world humanity to come together and help to establish a more peaceful world based on equality and justice for next generation dreamt by Bangabandhu,” she said

Ambassador Islam urged expatriates living in Korea to come forward and play constructive roles in the development of Bangladesh and to realize the “Sonar Bangla,” or “golden Bengal,” dreamed of by Bangabandhu.

By Sanjay Kumar (sanjaykumar@heraldcorp.com)