UNB, Dhaka :
British High Commissioner in Dhaka Alison Blake has said the attacks on innocent inhabitants of Bangladesh, including bloggers, foreigners, human rights activists and civil society figures, religious and other minorities, are assaults against its hard-won freedom.
“Today, we remember Nazrul’s works and life and the value of tolerance, inclusion, justice, and diversity,” the High Commissioner said in statement on Tuesday to mark the 117th birth anniversary of Bangladesh National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. This is the first-ever statement from any British diplomat in Dhaka ahead of Nazrul’s birth anniversary.
Blake, however, said Bangladesh is rightly proud of its great traditions and its rich cultural heritage.
She quoted a few lines form the poem ‘Manush’ (Human Being) and said ‘Gahi shammyer gaan, Manusher cheye boro kichu nai, Nohe kichu mohian’ (I sing of equality, nothing is greater than human kind, there is nothing nobler than humanity).
The British High Commissioner said this week Bangladesh celebrates the birth of its National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, better known as ‘Rebel Poet’.
She said, 117 years after his birth Nazrul’s writings remain works of great literature with significance for all. “As the poet himself wrote, ‘I don’t belong to just this country, this society. I belong to the world.”
Blake mentioned that Bangladesh was born as a result of a struggle against intolerance and exclusion.
“Nazrul’s works have inspired generations to pursue freedom and equality. He was writing before the adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with its statement that ‘all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” she said. The British diplomat mentioned that Nazrul gave powerful voice to a passionate belief that every person has the right to realise their full potentials, free of any form of discrimination.
“One of Nazrul’s great works is the poem ‘Nari’ (Women), condemning discrimination against women just because they were women; and in his other poems, Nazrul is urging an end to all forms of discrimination against people on whatever grounds,” she mentioned.
The British High Commissioner thinks that Nazrul’s writing is part of Bangladesh’s rich culture and long tradition of harmony, inclusion, diversity and tolerance across all divides. This year’s Commonwealth theme is inclusion and the values promoted by Nazrul are at the heart of the Commonwealth, she said. “Bangladesh and Britain share a set of core Commonwealth values around tolerance, inclusivity and diversity. And we share a commitment to protect and uphold human rights,” Blake added.
British High Commissioner in Dhaka Alison Blake has said the attacks on innocent inhabitants of Bangladesh, including bloggers, foreigners, human rights activists and civil society figures, religious and other minorities, are assaults against its hard-won freedom.
“Today, we remember Nazrul’s works and life and the value of tolerance, inclusion, justice, and diversity,” the High Commissioner said in statement on Tuesday to mark the 117th birth anniversary of Bangladesh National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. This is the first-ever statement from any British diplomat in Dhaka ahead of Nazrul’s birth anniversary.
Blake, however, said Bangladesh is rightly proud of its great traditions and its rich cultural heritage.
She quoted a few lines form the poem ‘Manush’ (Human Being) and said ‘Gahi shammyer gaan, Manusher cheye boro kichu nai, Nohe kichu mohian’ (I sing of equality, nothing is greater than human kind, there is nothing nobler than humanity).
The British High Commissioner said this week Bangladesh celebrates the birth of its National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, better known as ‘Rebel Poet’.
She said, 117 years after his birth Nazrul’s writings remain works of great literature with significance for all. “As the poet himself wrote, ‘I don’t belong to just this country, this society. I belong to the world.”
Blake mentioned that Bangladesh was born as a result of a struggle against intolerance and exclusion.
“Nazrul’s works have inspired generations to pursue freedom and equality. He was writing before the adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with its statement that ‘all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” she said. The British diplomat mentioned that Nazrul gave powerful voice to a passionate belief that every person has the right to realise their full potentials, free of any form of discrimination.
“One of Nazrul’s great works is the poem ‘Nari’ (Women), condemning discrimination against women just because they were women; and in his other poems, Nazrul is urging an end to all forms of discrimination against people on whatever grounds,” she mentioned.
The British High Commissioner thinks that Nazrul’s writing is part of Bangladesh’s rich culture and long tradition of harmony, inclusion, diversity and tolerance across all divides. This year’s Commonwealth theme is inclusion and the values promoted by Nazrul are at the heart of the Commonwealth, she said. “Bangladesh and Britain share a set of core Commonwealth values around tolerance, inclusivity and diversity. And we share a commitment to protect and uphold human rights,” Blake added.
