BSS, Dhaka :The 135th birth and 83nd death anniversaries of Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, the pioneer of women’s rights in the subcontinent, will be observed in a befitting manner in the capital and elsewhere across the country today.The programmes of the day include milad mahfil, placing wreath on her portraits, discussions, cultural functions and “Begum Rokeya Award -2015” distribution ceremony. Begum Rokeya was born in village Pairaband on December 9 in 1880 and died on the same day in 1932 in Kolkata.On the occasion, the President Md Abdul Hamid and the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday gave separate messages paying their rich tributes to the memory of Rokeya, who had struggled for establishing women rights, freedom, education, empowerment, economic emancipation and movements creating a renaissance in the then highly conservative and British-ruled colonial society.Opposition Leader in the parliament Begum Rawshan Ershad also gave a message on the day. They also greeted the winners of ‘Begum Rokeya Award-2015’ urging to take lesson from her lifestyle and also to be inspired to ensure the proper status of womenfolk in all respects. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will distribute the prizes among the award-winners on the occasion in capital’s Osmani Memorial Auditorium at 10:30 am.
