M. Shahed Rahman, London office :
London: A proposal for a Shahid Minar in Sussex area was put to the Councillors in attendance by Mozmil Hussain at an event to celebrate Bangladesh’s Victory Day on 16 December in Eastbourne. It was explained that the monument was to be a replica of the original one in Bangladesh that commemorates language martyrs but would also celebrate International Mother Language Day as declared by the UN in 1999. The councillors assured the Bengali community that they would assist in facilitating the erection of a monument but requested the community to find a suitable space.

The event titled ‘A celebration of Bangladesh’s history
& heritage of Victory Day’ was held at the Salvation Army Hall in
Old Town, Eastbourne and jointly conducted by Abdul Kashem and Shajia
Snigdha of Study Circle. 

Guests and Bengali families attended
the celebration of Victory Day of Bangladesh with their young children
to view exhibition, watch documentary films, listen to speeches from
dignitaries and enjoyed Bengali cuisine & music by Salma Aktar. 

The
event started with a minute silence for those who perished during the
Bangladesh War of Liberation followed by Bangladesh’s national anthem
being sung by children. Speakers said Victory Day is a celebration of
being freed from the occupying Pakistani military on 16 December when
Gen A K Niazi commanding 93.000 Pakistani troops surrendered to the
coalition forces of India and Bangladesh. 

They added the day is
observed in mourning too as 3 million innocent lives were lost because
the Pakistani occupying forces indulged in one of the cruellest acts of
genocide against the unarmed Bengali people. 

Speakers also
highlighted Bangladesh’s recent success in poverty reduction, increasing
literacy rate, in health sector, closing gender gap and meeting UN’s
millennium goals. As a result, the World Bank believes Bangladesh is
poised to be the next ‘Asian Tiger’ given the progress the country has
achieved in the last decade and termed Bangladesh as a ‘development role
model’ for all developing nations.

Guests included Chairman of
East Sussex County Council, Cllr Peter Pragnell, Deputy Leader of East
Sussex County Council Cllr David Elkin, Deputy Mayor Cllr Kathy Ballard,
Cllr Paul Mt Claff, Cllr Penny Di Cara,  Caroline Ansell, Nick Ansell, 
Jane Lamb , John  Feakins, Akram Siddique , Goas Miah, Suleman Miah,
Sorwar Hussain, Sayek Miah ,Tajul Chowdhury, Akbor Ali, Mahmood Miah,
Anwar Ali, Mohammned M Hussain, M .A.Rahman Abdul kadir , Akram Siddique
, Joynul hoque , Sarwar choudhury , H R Liton, Eastbourne Caters
Association M.A Kadir, John Morrison, Robert Findon, Ansar Ahmed Ullah
of Swadhinata Trust, Bijoyphool Coordinator Milton Rahman, child
activist Aydan Ahmad and storyteller Farah Naz amongst others. 

Mozmil Hussain from Devonshire Collective brought the event to an end by vote of thanks. The event was organised by Greater Eastbourne Bangladesh Welfare Association and Devonshire Collective and in association with the Greater Eastbourne .

jagannathpur today-18