Today is the Great Victory Day

Today is the Great Victory Day

The nation is gearing up to commemorate Victory Day, a cherished occasion for the Bangalees, marking the liberation of the country from Pakistani occupation forces 52 years ago after a nine-month-long, bloodstained War of Liberation.

On December 16, 1971, Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation under the leadership of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at the cost of the supreme sacrifice of three million people and the honour of nearly half a million women.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have issued separate messages, paying heartfelt tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War in 1971.

The Victory Day programs include a 31-gun salute, wreath-laying ceremonies at monuments to honor martyrs, and the hoisting of national flags atop government, semi-government, private offices, and autonomous bodies nationwide.

Celebrations also encompass decorating city streets, illuminating significant buildings, and adorning roads and street islands at night.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will lead the homage-paying activities by placing wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar at sunrise. Following them, family members of Bir Sreshthos, wounded freedom fighters, and other valiant heroes led by Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq will pay their respects.

Foreign diplomats, leaders of various political and social organizations, and people from all walks of life will also participate in wreath-laying ceremonies to honor the martyrs.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and his wife, Dr. Rebecca Sultana, will host a reception at Bangabhaban on Victory Day, marking the country's 53rd Victory Day. Notable figures, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan, and other dignitaries, are expected to join the festivities.

The day is a public holiday, and significant buildings and structures will be illuminated. The capital and other cities will witness decorations with national flags and colorful festoons on important roads and road islands. Musical performances by bands from different forces will take place at various locations.

National dailies will release special supplements, and electronic media will broadcast month-long programs focusing on the Liberation War.

Various social and cultural organizations, including Bangladesh Awami League, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Bangla Academy, National Museum, Liberation War Museum, and Bangladesh Shishu Academy, will organize discussions, cultural events, and competitions for children, showcasing Liberation War-related documentaries.

On Victory Day, discussions titled 'Upholding the spirit of the Liberation War and the best use of digital technology in building the Sonar Bangla as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman' will be held nationwide.

Receptions will be hosted for freedom fighters and family members of martyrs at city, district, and upazila levels. Special prayers will be offered for the eternal peace of the souls of Liberation War martyrs and for the peace, progress, and prosperity of the country.

Improved diets will be served in jails, hospitals, orphanages, old-age homes, and similar institutions. All children's parks and museums will be open to the public without tickets, and Liberation War-based films will be screened free of cost nationwide.

A documentary and poster exhibition on the history and heritage of the Liberation War will be organized at Swadhinata Stambha and the Underground Museum at Suhrawardy Udyan in the city, with similar programs at district and upazila levels and Bangladesh missions abroad to highlight the significance of the day.