Kushtia holds months long cultural programme for interaction between the children

A month-long cultural competition ended on Wednesday with a prize giving ceremony in Kushtia. The recently concluded programme aimed to pave the way for interaction between the children of the marginalised Harijan and mainstream communities.

A discussion was also arranged on the occasion. Vice-Chancellor of Kushtia Islamic University (IU), eminent educationist Professor M. Alauddin was the chief guest at the programme held at Kushtia Public Library premises.

FAIR, a local NGO working for the development of the Harijan community in Kushtia and Pabna district with Advocacy Group (a civil society forum working for the Harijan) jointly organised the programme. Manusher Jonno Foundation, a Dhaka-based national NGO, assists FAIR in its endeavour to uplift the marginalised community.

According to the organisers, 200 children from different high and primary schools in the district took part in the competition. Of them around 70 children were from the Harijan community. The competitors took part in eight contests, including patriotic songs, folk songs, Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Sangeet, recitation of poems and arts.

A total of 85 winners were selected by the panel of judges. Of the winners, eight were from the Harijan community.

In his speech, Vice-Chancellor Professor Alauddin said that it is frustrating that even in present day Bangladesh around 40 lakh people of a community are deprived of their rights.

He called upon the public to purge society of social and class discrimination. He urged the Harijan people not to be frustrated and work in unison to fight for their rights as the constitution guarantees equal rights for all human beings.

Other guests at the programme included Associate Professor at the Department of Law, Islamic University, Zohurul Islam; an Assistant Registrar of IU and also a PhD researcher at the University of North Bengal, Darjeeling (India) Amanur Rahman; former Deputy Director of Social Welfare Department, Nazrul Islam and Kushtia Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mamtaj Begum.

Dewan Akhtaruzzaman, director of FAIR, delivered the welcome address. The programme was presided over by Assistant Public Prosecutor of Kushtia judge court Advocate Rajib Ahsan Ranju.

The programme was conducted by project coordinator of FAIR, Sahana Ahmed Talukdar, and assistant project officer Saiful Islam.

A congregation of parents of Harijan and the mainstream children also created a hope of purging social and class discrimination among the people.