India’s mega project to strengthen ties with Bangladesh

With the aim of improving the contacts among the citizens of both the nations, India has organised a major program with Bangladesh on March 26-27 on the occasion to mark 50 years of Bangladesh’s independence and 50 years of the formation of bilateral diplomatic ties along with the celebration of the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, the first president of the nation who later served as the prime minister as well. The program coincides with the visit of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Dhaka.

 Increasing scholarships, formation of chairs in each others’ nation and the strengthening of musical bonds will be the focus of the program. Dhaka University already has a chair of India studying there while Delhi University has a chair of Bangladesh likewise, under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) which will be increasing the scholarships for Bangladeshi nationals. This will also include 100 scholarships for the top students.

In a bid to increase the musical bonds across the nations, the ICCR will be making efforts in assisting the creation of a pool of Bangladeshi artists who specialise in instrumental music. In the honour of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, considered the ‘father of the nation’ in Bangladesh and fondly called “Bangabandhu” (“Friend of Bengal”), eminent Indian musician Ajoy Chakrabrty has composed a raag that fully adheres to the traditional and classical rules of Indian music. The raag has been christened “Maitree” which means “Friendship” in Hindi and Sanskrit.