The Bengali New Year holds pride, tradition, and a sense of identity for the people of Bangladesh. Unlike many other nations, we have our own calendar, the Bengali Panjika, for our daily needs and calculations. Bangladesh is primarily an agrarian country, and agriculture is our mainstay. The majority of our population resides in rural areas, where the Bengali calendar is extensively used for various activities.
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's speech to the nation on March 7, 1971 at the then Race Course (now Suhrawardy Udyan) is not just a historic speech but a profoundly significant one. It was a directional speech, which ignited the aspirations of millions of people in Bangladesh, filling them with the joy of liberation. Bangabandhu's speech was universally acknowledged as an inspirational address dedicated to the goal of human freedom.
Professor Dr. AAMS Arefin Siddique was born in Dhaka on October 23, 1953. He is the former Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University and presently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bangladesh News Agency (BSS). He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum. Recently, he talked with Views Bangladesh about the education system in Smart Bangladesh. Economic writer M A Khaleque and assistant editor of Views Bangladesh Girish Goiric interviewed him.