Rasheda K.Chowdhury speaks at the programme (top); Feroz Shah Shahryar reads Afghan poetry (bottom left) & Sonam Tshering recites poems from Bhutan (bottom right)Photo: STAR

To mark the International Mother Language Day, the first SAARC Poetry Evening was jointly organised by Meghdut Abritti Shangshad and UNESCO, Bangladesh Office, in collaboration with the high commissions/ embassies of the SAARC countries. The programme was held at the Shaheed Zia Auditorium, National Museum on the evening of February 26.
Rasheda K.Chowdhury, Adviser to the Ministries of Primary and Mass education; Women and Children; Cultural Affairs was present as the chief guest. Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain and Malama Meleisea, UNESCO representative to Bangladesh attended the programme as special guests.
After the introductory remarks by Mosud Mannan, chief organiser of Meghdut, the guests were presented with bouquets. Touhid Hossain and Rasheda K.Chowdhury then delivered speeches.
A verse from the Charyapada, written in the oldest form of Bangla, was recited by Professor Niranjan Adhikari. Recitation of poems in languages of the SAARC countries followed. Poems from Afghanistan in Pashto and Dari were recited by Second Secretary Feroz Shah Shahryar. Sonam Tshering recited Bhutanese poetry. Ajit Gupte, Moushumi and Chayan Singh rendered poems in Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Hindi and Bangla. The Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Maldives Mizarul Quayes recited poetry from Maldives. Ramesh Prasad Khanal, CDA a.i and Krisu Chhetri, attaché rendered poems from Nepal. First Secretary Aamir Shouket represented Pakistan and Jayashantha Peiris recited Sri Lankan poetry.
A poem in Garo was recited by Jemi Daizy Marak, followed by a poem in Chakma by Trijinad Changma. Excerpts from poems by Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam were rendered by Rafiqul Islam, Bhashwar Bannerji and Mahidul Islam respectively. Raju Ahmed Mamun recited from Sufia Kamal's work; Sajid Akhand from Shamsur Rahman; Dr Rashid Hyder from Syed Shamsul Haque; Mosud Mannan from Al Mahmud; a self-composed poem by poet Asad Chowdhury; Farhad Hossain from Nirmalendu Goon and a poem by Dilwar Khan, the latest recipient of Ekushey Padak.
The programme concluded with gifts presented to representatives of the high commissions/ embassies of the SAARC countries and the vote of thanks by Malama Meleisea.
Meghdut was founded in 1984. The organisation concentrates on the art of poetry recitation. According to Mosud Mannan, the programme was organised as an initiative to promote cultural understanding between the SAARC members.