Special programme on Bangladesh on AIR

India’s national public radio broadcaster ‘All India Radio’ aired a nine-minute special programme featuring Bangladesh on latter’s Independence Day on Wednesday.

The 9-minute documentary relayed at about 4.30pm under its ‘India Global’ programme on FM Gold, highlighted Bangladesh’s natural vastness as well as its emerging economies, birth in 1971 and its relations with India.

‘All India Radio’, also known as Akashbani, helped to generate global supports for Bangladesh’s war of independence with its reports of heroic struggle of freedom fighters in 1971.

India was the first country to recognise Bangladesh immediately after its independence on Mar 26, 1971.

Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pankaj Saran recalled in the programme how then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, stood up to demand their dignity and justice against West Pakistan.

He said the two countries share common history which goes back to many centuries.

“Since then (1971) we have been developing an overall comprehensive and fruitful relationship with Bangladesh,” he said.

Indian current President Pranab Mukherjee was the first to initiate a discussion on the floor of the India’s Upper House on June 15, 1971 suggesting that India should accord diplomatic recognition to the government of Bangladesh in exile in Mujibnagar.

After becoming President of the world’s largest democracy, Mukherjee visited Bangladesh last year in his first overseas visit as Indian President.

“Bangladesh is one of most important neighbours of India,” the high commissioner said, as he recollected the relationships of the two neighbours that share more than 4000 kilometres of border.

Five Indian states share their borders with Bangladesh.

“How we shape our relations with Bangladesh will determine the future not only of India’s north-east but also of the sub-region which comprised broader part of India,” he said.

The radio feature introduced Bangladesh’s natural richness, mangrove forest Sundarbans and most importantly its art and culture that the two counties share.

Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam are the common poets of the two countries who enriched Bangla literature, Bangla thinking and philosophy.

“This is a great asset we have between us,” the high commissioner said and that “history, culture and art” made up the special relationship between the two countries.

“We find that there is a great empathy between the two peoples to constantly work towards making the whole Bengali culture, literature, art and music come on to the world stage,” he said.

“Many illustrious Indian born in Bangladesh and trace their roots in Bangladesh and they are icons of this rich cultural legacy”.

Bangladesh and India jointly celebrated Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary in 2011 and 90th anniversary of Kazi Nazrul’s poem ‘Bidrohi’.

“Younger generations of Bangladesh and India were exposed to the historical legacy of art, and this in fact constitutes one of the key pillars of our approach to Bangladesh,” he said and that he found “growing interest” especially among the youths in such exchanges.

On the eve of the Independence Day, the High Commissioner on Tuesday at a function said India-Bangladesh relations have gone “beyond the two governments” as he said the areas of cooperation had touched upon “all aspects of life” of the people.

“Cooperation is a key to progress and prosperity,” he said as he was speaking on India, Bangladesh relations and cooperation before diploma engineers.

The All India Radio feature also portrayed Bangladesh’s economic growth, saying ship-building, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing are important emerging industries of the country.

The high commissioner said Bangladesh is India’s largest trading partner in South Asian, though the two-way trade is heavily biased towards India.

“We are working with government to narrow down the gap,” he said Bangladesh’s products are getting duty free market access to Indian market and that he said already increased Bangladesh’s exports to their market.

He said more Indian major companies are looking at Bangladesh as “an investment destination” and as a land where they can set up factories and export outside Bangladesh.

“We are actively engaged in development cooperation with Bangladesh,” he said referring to the $ 1 billion line of credit that India gave to Bangladesh mostly for utilisation in railways and communication sector.

He said new ground has been broken in energy cooperation with 500 MW power now flowing into Bangladesh from India.

The show ended with a question for listeners: Which English Nobel by well-known Indian author is set on the Sundarbans?