Connecting Harijan children to the mainstream

Discussants at the programme. Photo: STAR

A month-long cultural competition ended here recently with a prize giving ceremony. The objective was to connect children with their and 'Harijan' (a marginalized caste) compatriots.
Deputy Commissioner of Kushtia, Sarkar Abul Kalam Azad, was the chief guest at the programme held at Kushtia Public Library premises.
FAIR, a local NGO working for the Harijan community in Kushtia and Pabna district, was the organiser of the programme. Manusher Jonno Foundation, a Dhaka-based national NGO, assisted FAIR in organising the event.
According to the organisers, 200 children took part in the competition. Of them around 30 children were from the Harijan community. The competitors took part in eight contests, including patriotic songs, folk songs, Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Sangeet and recitation of poems.
A total of 45 winners were selected by the panel of judges. Of the winners, 3 were from the Harijan community.
In his speech, the Deputy Commissioner called upon the public to purge the society of social and class discrimination. As he pointed out, the constitution guarantees equal rights for all human beings.
Other guests at the programme included Additional Deputy Commissioner, (General) of Kushtia, Ashok Kumar Debnath; former lawmaker and Mayor of Kushtia Municipality, Advocate Badruddoza Gama and former deputy director of Social Welfare Department, Nazrul Islam.
Dewan Akhtaruzzaman, director of FAIR, delivered the welcome address. The programme was presided over by Advocate Rajib Ahsan Ranju, member of FAIR Advocacy Group and convenor of the contest organising committee.