PM for preserving past, living in present

The past should be preserved and the future embraced, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said while warning against the possibility of ‘bad culture’ gaining ground in Bangladesh.

She was on a visit to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs on Thursday, when she urged officials to keep up with the present times and make Bangladesh culture and heritage attractive to the young.

“New technology has arrived. We want our country to progress. We have to keep our culture while we modernise and attract young people towards practicing culture.”

She used the example of ‘Jalshaghar’, a classic film by Satyajit Ray based on the story by Tarashankar Bandapaddhay.

“We must preserve what is old. But we can’t go forward if we hold on too tightly. Otherwise everything will slowly fall apart like in Jalshaghar. We have to keep up with the new.”

But she told ministry officials that they must make sure no ‘bad stream’ entered the country’s culture.

“You must make sure nothing bad gets hold of our culture. We must emphasise our own and keep it alive.”