'People of Bangladesh, Tripura close by heart'
Bangladesh War Memorial and India-Bangladesh Friendship Park at South Tripura, India will uphold cultural heritage, history, solidarity, patriotism, and bond of the two countries, also helping to further cement the bilateral relationship.
''Building of such a memorial was a long cherished demand of the people of Tripura as they were actively involved with the 1971 war by providing all-out support to the freedom fighters and sheltered around two million people in Tripura,'' said Jitendra Chaudhury, minister for the rural development, industries, commerce and forests of the government of Tripura.
People of this state have strong love and feeling for Bangladeshi people. They also share the joys of Bangladesh's independence, Jitendra said while talking to The Daily Star yesterday at his secretariat office.
Jitendra is the main architect of the concept of a 1971 war memorial to be built at South Tripura district.
The minister recalled he was a student of class VIII in 1971 and saw the spirit of the people of Bangladesh and their struggle for independence.
''A distance was created after the liberation. The gap, however, is being removed now, as people of the two sides are very close by their heart.''
Jitendra also mentioned a-500-year old mosque discovered by the Tripura government at the memorial site. The prayer house is being renovated to make it an integral part of the entire memorial, he said.
The park being built by Tripura government at Chottakhola, a village of South Tripura district, about 130 Km from Agartala, will have a sculpture of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
A verdant 20 hectares of land dotted by seven hillocks and a serpentine lake will house the memorial and a museum to commemorate Indian soldiers and Bangladeshi civilians who laid down their lives for the liberation of Bangladesh.
The memorial will help the future generation know of the liberation of Bangladesh and bond of the two people, and of how they cooperated and helped each other for the independence.
''Certainly it will inspire them to be patriot, and they will further carry forward the bond of the two countries,'' said the Tripura minister.
He said the government and people of Tripura have been observing December 6 as solidarity day since the demolition of Babri Mosque in 1992.
Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni will lay the foundation of the memorial tomorrow.
Prof Mesbah Kamal of Dhaka University, along with artist Hashem Khan, architect Mobassher Hossain, and Prof Muntashir Mamun is providing technical advices to the Tripura government for construction of the memorial.
Prof Meshbah said it will be a unique establishment and will serve a significant role in strengthening people-to-people contact.
He said the memorial will reflect patriotism, internationalism, and solidarity of the two people and uphold our historical and cultural bond.
Comments