‘Courage shown during July uprising will play significant role in future’

Speakers at an event in Dhaka on Thursday said that the courage that the people of the country demonstrated in the July uprising in the past year should be remembered because it would play a crucial role in the future.

They made the remarks at the award-giving ceremony of an essay writing programme organised by the National Book Centre at its auditorium.

Fiction writer Afsana Begum, director of the book centre, said that this was the last programme the book centre taken on the occasion of the anniversary of the July-August mass uprising.

In the programme, 192 students from 26 educational institutions across the country submitted their essays and articles. Out of them, 49 students from the educational institutions were selected as the best based on the marks of the evaluators.

Dhaka University teacher and writer Moshahida Sultana; mother of July martyr Shahariar Khan Anas, Sanjida Khan Dipti; and his father Shahriar Khan Palash were present as guests at the event.

Presided over by Afsana Begum, deputy director of the book centre Md Farid Uddin Sarkar delivered welcome speech at the event.

The students selected as the best and their guardians and teacher representatives of the concerned educational institutions were also present at the event.

Moshahida Sultana said that the people of the country should cherish the spirit of the July uprising. “If we remember the tremendous power that the people demonstrated in July, it will play an important role in the political life we will live in the future.”

Mentioning the sacrifice of Anas in the July uprising, Sanjida Khan Dipti said, “So that the blood of my child does not go in vain, I would like to request you to make the country beautiful.”

Sahriar Khan Palash urged the people of the country to do something for the injured in the uprising. “Everyone should try from their place for the injured.”

Afsana Begum said that the centre invited the students to write essays on the July uprising and many good essays they received. “They have written such wonderful essays that it is actually worth being proud of.”

Earlier, the book centre organised several events to mark the anniversary of the July uprising, including the July book exhibition and a countrywide library readers drawing competition.

In the final evaluation of the programme, 49 students who were selected as the best on the basis of obtaining the highest marks were given books worth Tk 1,500, prize bonds of Tk 500 and certificates each.

After the speeches of the guests, certificates and prizes were handed over to everyone.