Nation celebrates V-Day today amid new ambiance

As the 16th December dawns today, the nation begins to celebrate the Victory Day marking Bangladesh's liberation from the then Pakistani occupation this day 54 years ago through a nine-month bloodstained war.
On December 16 in 1971, as history says, Bangladesh was born as an independent country at the cost of supreme sacrifice of three million people and the honour of two lakh women.
On the occasion, the government has taken up extensive programmes to celebrate the great Victory Day. A 31-gun salute at dawn heralds the celebrations.
The programmes include placing wreaths at the monuments to pay homage to martyrs, the hoisting of the national flag, a three-day victory fair, parachuting with the highest number of national flags, band show, cultural events, arrangement of recitation, essay writing and painting competitions on the Liberation War for children and acrobatic show.
Agencies add: President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Monday urged all to work together to build a prosperous Bangladesh, free from discrimination and all forms of oppression.
The President made the call in a message issued on the occasion of the Victory Day.
He said, "December 16 marks our great 'Victory Day'. This day stands as a symbol of our national pride and the culminating success of our struggle for independence."
On this joyous occasion, he extended his warmest greetings and heartfelt congratulations to all Bangladeshis living at home and abroad.
In another message, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus said that the extensive reform initiatives undertaken by the current interim government to build a well-governed and progressive Bangladesh are now moving towards successful completion.
The Chief Adviser said, "December 16 is our great Victory Day - an unforgettable and glorious chapter in the history of Bangladesh. On this day in 1971, following nine months of a bloody Liberation War, we achieved our long-cherished victory."
On this occasion, he extended his warmest greetings to all Bangladeshis living at home and abroad.
The President and the Chief Adviser are expected to pay tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War by placing wreaths at the National Martyrs' Memorial at Savar on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka, at sunrise, reports BSS.
Then, the Bir Shrestha families, war-wounded Freedom Fighters and valiant Freedom Fighters, under the leadership of the Liberation War Affairs Adviser, will lay wreaths there.
In addition, foreign diplomats in Bangladesh and various political and social organisations, including people from all walks of life, will pay tribute to the martyrs who made supreme sacrifice at the Liberation war to earn independence.
On the occasion, the national flag will be hoisted in all government, semi-government, autonomous and private buildings and Bangladesh embassies and missions abroad while important buildings and establishments will be illuminated.
The main roads and road islands of Dhaka and various cities of the country have already been decorated with banners, festoons and colorful flags, including the national flag.
As part of the nationwide grand celebrations of the Victory Day, Bangladesh is set to make a world record by parachuting with the highest number of national flags.
On the occasion, the Bangladesh Army, Navy, and Air Force will conduct separate fly-past demonstrations at the Tejgaon old airport in the city from 11:00 am. A special Victory Day band show will also be staged there.
Besides, 54 paratroopers of "Team Bangladesh" will perform a flag-bearing skydive from at 11:40am to mark 54 years of the country's independence, which would be the largest-ever flag-parachuting display in the world, setting a new Guinness World Record.
Similar fly-past demonstrations will also be conducted by the armed forces in other cities across the country. Alongside them, the police, BGB, and Ansar will organize band shows nationwide. All of the events will be open to the public.
On the occasion, like the previous years, the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs will organise three-day Victory Fairs in all districts and upazilas across the country. District and upazila administrations will arrange recitation, essay writing and painting competitions on the Liberation War for children and organise cultural events to celebrate the day.
At 9 am, students will gather in educational institutions at the division, district and upazila levels, hoist the national flag, perform the national anthem and hold parade.
Victory Day songs will be performed at Suhrawardy Udyan in the city from 3:00pm today while new-generation artists will perform songs of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra simultaneously in 64 districts across the country.
On the occasion, various social and cultural organisations including Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Bangla Academy, National Museum, Liberation War Museum and Bangladesh Shishu Academy will organize Liberation War-based discussions, cultural programs, children's painting, writing and sports competitions, and screenings of Liberation War-based documentaries.
Bangladesh embassies abroad will also take up similar programs highlighting the significance of the day.
On the occasion, sports events, football matches, T20 cricket tournaments, Kabaddi and Hadudu games will be organized at convenient times at the district and upazila levels with the participation of students from schools, colleges, madrasas and other educational institutions.
The President will felicitate the members of the Bir Shrestha families at Bangabhaban in the afternoon.
In addition, receptions will be held for the family members of freedom fighters and martyrs in the metropolis, districts and upazilas.
The Bangladesh Postal Department will issue commemorative postage stamps on this occasion.
Marking the day, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will publish special supplements.
State-owned Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar and other TV channels and radios will broadcast programmes highlighting the glorious history of the Liberation War.
Cinema halls across the country will screen Liberation War films free of charge for students while documentaries based on Liberation War will be screened at auditoriums and open places across the country.
The government and autonomous museums will be open to the public all day without entry fees, while all entertainment venues across the country will offer free entry for children.
Besides, Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard vessels will remain open to the public from 9am until sunset at BIWTC jetties, including at the ports of Chattogram, Khulna, Mongla, and Payra, as well as Dhaka Sadarghat, Pagla, and Barishal.
Special prayers will be offered at mosques, temples, churches, pagodas, and other places of worship seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of martyred freedom fighters and the well-being of wounded veterans and peace and progress of the country.
Improved diets will be served in all hospitals, prisons, old homes, orphanages, street-children rehabilitation centres, disability welfare centres, daycare centres, child development centres and Shishu Paribar and under-privileged children across the country.