Views Bangladesh celebrates first founding anniversary

The Views Bangladesh, Bangladesh's first real-time bilingual news portal, has celebrated its first founding anniversary. The event was held with a colorful ceremony at the prestigious Holiday Inn hotel in the capital on Saturday (February 15).

Views Bangladesh Editor Rased Mehedi inaugurated the anniversary celebrations with the guests at 11:30am.

Former professor of the Bangla Department of Dhaka University and Bangla Academy Chairman Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq was present as the chief guest at the event.

The country’s renowned news analysts, researchers, prominent journalists, media personalities, politicians, diplomats, businessmen, sportsmen, academicians and cultural activists attended the anniversary ceremony.

Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq in his speech said: "Freedom of thought is relative. It is not possible to expect or get 100 percent freedom, nor is it possible for any government to allow 100 percent freedom. Some control over freedom of thought is also necessary to control human nature. However, this freedom should be allowed as widely as possible."

He also called on the country’s media to play a timely role for the welfare of the country, society, nation and the world.

Stating that Views Bangladesh has achieved three million readers in the past year by publishing truthful, impartial, objective and dynamic news and several important reports, Editor Rased Mehedi said, “Our efforts and progress will continue.”

He said: "It is a challenge to present the true views of the masses in real media and we will win this challenge."

In his inaugural speech, Rased Mehedi said: "Our goal is not to provide unnecessary news to the people, but to create tasteful and thoughtful readers by publishing and disseminating tasteful, constructive, quality news and views that are necessary and important for the country, nation and society."

Attorney General of Bangladesh Md Asaduzzaman has sent a message of greetings to the Views Bangladesh family on the occasion of its founding anniversary.

The programme, moderated by News Editor Maria Salam, was addressed, among others, by president of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) Mohammad Shah Alam, playwright and actor Mamunur Rashid, Adviser to BNP Chairperson and valiant freedom fighter Advocate Fazlur Rahman, Economist Professor Dr MM Akash, Researcher and Columnist Afsan Chowdhury, Senior Supreme Court Lawyer and President of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) Manzil Murshid, Agricultural Economist Dr Jahangir Alam, Head of the Thyroid Department of the National Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (NINMAS) Professor Dr AKM Fazlul Bari, Acting CEO of Bangla Link Taimur Rahman, Managing Director of Xfer Limited Mushfiq Anam, Programme Manager of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Manjurul Islam, film director Fakhrul Arefin, writer, analyst and journalist Mohsin Habib, poet and General Secretary of Jatiya Kobita Parishad Rezauddin Stalin and writer and editor of Protibuddhijibi Sadat Ullah Khan.

The event was also attended by researcher and trustee of the Liberation War Museum Mofidul Haque, Assistant Attorney General Md JR Khan Robin, senior advocate Ahsanul Karim, medical scientist and educationist Liaqat Ali, Chairman of Fiber@Home Moynul Haque Siddiqui, Chairman of Visa Things Sharifa Akhter, First Secretary of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka Gokul Vicky, Head of External Communications of the US Embassy in Dhaka Ricky Salmina, Editor of DBC Television Lotan Ekram, lyricist Shahidullah Faraiji, Hilsa expert Dr Md Anisur Rahman, sports analyst Ikram Uzzaman, agriculturist and environmentalist Mrityunjoy Roy, fortnightly sports editor Dulal Mahmud, fiction writer Swakrit Noman, ATN News' sports editor Pabitra Kumar Kundu, economist MA Khalek, Grameenphone's Head of Communication Sharfuddin Ahmed and Public Relations Officer Ankit Sureka, Robi's Public Relations Officer Ashraful Islam, Banglalink's Public Relations Officer Gazi Towhid Ahmed, poet Suhita Sultana, poet Swakrit Noman and poet Shams Sayed.

Girish Goiric, associate editor of Views Bangladesh, delivered the welcome speech at the event, while Hira Talukder, chief correspondent, welcomed the guests.

The country’s renowned news analysts, researchers, prominent journalists, media personalities, politicians, diplomats, businessmen, sportsmen, academicians and cultural activists attended the anniversary ceremony.

The Views Bangladesh started its journey on December 28, 2023, with a modest ceremony at Hotel Sonargaon in the capital.

Within a year of its launch, Views Bangladesh has been able to gain the trust of more than three million readers. The unique feature of publishing news in both Bengali and English simultaneously has made it a popular news portal at home and abroad.