The grateful nation is set to celebrate the 103rd birthday of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation this month today, March 17, 2023. On this day in 1920, Bangabandhu was the only one born in the thousand-year history of Bengal to gift us FREEDOM at the cost of sacrifices in his life. Bangabandhu never celebrated his birthday, but his freedom-loving people will celebrate the day as National Children’s Day in a befitting manner as they are enjoying freedom for the sacrifice he made. Freedom-loving people across the globe will also pay respect to Bangabandhu, the uncompromising and supremely principled leader and take inspiration from his ideology and vision. 

Bangabandhu was born in Bangladesh. Bangladesh would not have emerged on the world map if Bangabandhu were not born. It is not possible to write about Bangladesh’s history without Bangabandhu. Our freedom is the fruit of the success of the continuous struggle for the status of the 1952 Mother Language Movement initiated by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib on March 11, 1948, with the ultimate target of political-economic and cultural emancipation of Bengalis. Just after the independence, Bangabandhu started building a war-torn nation from the ground zero and was leading from the front. He dreamed of turning Bangladesh into one of the greatest nations in the world. He was focused on peace and pro-people development and he will be remembered for his long-term vision and dream of a prosperous Bangladesh (‘Sonar Bangla’) who emphasised a planned approach to people-centric development. His inclusive economic philosophy gives equal importance to public and private sectors and co-operatives in terms of ownership of industries. However, he could not finish what he started as he was brutally killed in his own house along with most of his family members on August 15, 1975. The day remains one of the saddest days in the nation's history. 

Leader, legend, Bangabandhu--is any attribution enough for him? Nothing pleased him more than being close to the masses, knowing their joys and sorrows and being part of their travails and triumphs. He was the "poet of politics" for his historic speech delivered on March 7, 1971, before millions of people. This was the address that electrified the whole nation and sparked the aspirations of its people for greater freedom and independence. Bangabandhu’s glorious life and struggle serve as an eternal source of inspiration, not only for us but also for freedom-loving people around the world. However, he could not finish what he started as he was brutally killed in his own house along with most of his family members on August 15, 1975. The day remains one of the saddest days in the nation's history. 

But the dream of Bangabandhu didn’t fade away. His dream- Sonar Bangla, a poverty-free Sonar Bangladesh is going to be materialised as the nation’s economy is moving ahead with an inclusive growth strategy based on Mujibism ideology under the dynamic leadership of his daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh, which once was branded as a "basket case” is now a vibrant economy and a role model for growth. It has risen out of the shadow of its South Asian neighbours, India and Pakistan with impressive GDP growth even during COVID times. Women’s employment sustained a consistent growth rate of 39% in 2020 and Sheikh Hasina has already pledged to increase this to 50% by 2041. The ideology of ‘Mujibism’ based on an inclusive growth strategy has enabled Bangladesh to be a role model for fighting poverty, empowering women and disaster management. It achieved various UN Millennium Development Goals in 2015 and is now on the right track to achieving the 2030 SDGs through the ‘Vision 2021’ and “Vision 2041” initiatives. 

This all speaks to a quiet transformation where people have taken the spirits of Bangabandhu. What is apparent about today’s Bangladesh is the remnants left by Bangabandhu’s time in office. Now, a green economy has become an integral part of Hasina’s post-COVID plan not just for Bangladesh, but also globally. With the Digital Bangladesh vision, an economic transformation is progressing everywhere in Bangladesh with mobile phones. Now more than 150 million people have a mobile phone and 100mn are connected to the internet as 99% of the country has access to electricity. This has ignited a unique economic revolution with Mobile Financial Service (MFS), which is unleashing fortunes for the people at the bottom of the pyramid. More than 60 million people are now transacting over Taka 10 billion a day. The World Bank estimated that poverty has dropped more than 13 per cent after the MFS’s maiden journey in 2011. Here, the role of CEOs of banks and businesses, FIs, fintech and MFS operators and regulators is immense. Bangabandhu is their great source of inspiration as most of the successful CEOs uphold the spirit of Liberation War under his charismatic leadership, we believe. 

In fact, Bangabandhu is still alive. His story, which includes legal and political battles long after his demise, is intertwined with the history and politics of Bangladesh, the nation he founded. We are again back on the right path under the leadership of his daughter, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. As long as this country exists, Bangabandhu will exist immortally and inspire all of us to push forward the nation towards progress. For most of us, he remains a figure larger than the life we were not fortunate enough to have met or seen. We mourn the loss of our founding father and charismatic leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Let the principles and ideals of Bangabandhu spread from generation to generation; a courageous, dedicated and idealistic leadership be built up it is our expectation. 

Last but not least. The best tribute to the Father of the Nation is to work unitedly to make the country a Sonar Bangla- free of poverty, hunger, corruption and communalism as dreamt by them. Now it's time to move forward. There is no chance to look behind. Overcoming all obstacles, we shall establish this country as Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's exploitation-deprivation-free, hunger-poverty-illiteracy-free, non-communal Golden Bangladesh.