India gives special importance to relations with Bangladesh
Political circles in India are in consensus that relations with Bangladesh are of special importance. And so India places emphasis on friendship with the people of Bangladesh. Indian high commissioner in Dhaka, Vikram Doraiswami, made these comments to elaborate the significance of relations between the two countries, during his visit to the Prothom Alo office on Wednesday.
The 17th Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, Vikram Doraiswami, paid a visit to the Prothom Alo office on Wednesday afternoon. He was received by Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman.
Editor Matiur Rahman took the Indian high commissioner on a tour around the various sections of the Prothom Alo office. Vikram Doraiswami then exchanged views at a meeting with the newspaper’s senior journalists at the Prothom Alo conference room.
The Indian high commissioner first viewed a power point presentation on various aspects of Prothom Alo. This was followed by a rendition of Rabindra Sangeet by the Prothom Alo Trust coordinator Mahbuba Sultana. Prothom Alo’s social media head Javed Hussain then recited two verses of Mirza Galib and a few lines of Pakeezah in honour of the guest.
At the outset of the meeting, Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman said this year Bangladesh celebrates the golden jubilee of its independence. There was wide scope for the two countries to commemorate the occasion together in the fields of art, culture, publications and other fields. Prothom Alo had taken up several initiatives to mark the golden jubilee, he said.
Highlighting the importance of relations between the two countries, Vikram Doraiswami said that India and Bangladesh’s mutual benefits were involved in relations between the two neighbours and so this bond must be taken forward. He said, “We want good relations with the 17 crore people of Bangladesh. And logically speaking, it is in India’s interests to have friendly ties with Bangladesh. And over the past decade there has been consensus among India’s political circles that relations with Bangladesh are important.”
This senior diplomat in Dhaka felt that friendship flourishes on the basis of open discussions. Free discussions were essential for understanding. He said he would make all possible efforts during his term in Dhaka to take the relations ahead. He said that it was a matter of priority to ensure that the largest number of people was benefitted from the development projects run with Indian support.
Stressing the need to reach the large population of Bangladesh in the interests of relations between the two countries, Vikram Doraiswami said he was eager to exchange views with the people of Bangladesh, the youth in particular, who would contribute to taking the relations ahead. He said they placed priority on reaching out to as many people as possible in Bangladesh, not just politicians or businesspersons. “My visit to Prothom Alo is part of that effort,” he said, “Through Prothom Alo we can reach the people who we may not be able to meet directly.”
The forefathers of Vikram Doraiswami’s spouse, Sangeeta Doraiswami, were originally from Chattogram. The couple visited her over-hundred-year-old ancestral home in Chattogram in December last year. Recalling the visit, Vikram Doraiswami said his wife had become overwhelmed with emotion when visiting the home of her forefathers. The basic structure of the house was more or less the same as it had been 100 years ago, including the kitchen, the ground floor and other parts of the building. Sangeeta Doraiswami had made a video call to her mother and uncle and took them back in time by showing them around the old house. Vikram Doraiswami said, “These deeply embedded emotions remain alive in people on either side of the border.”
Present at the meeting with Vikram Doraiswami were Prothom Alo’s managing editor Sajjad Sharif, associate editor Anisul Hoque, joint editor Sohrab Hassan, feature editor Shumana Sharmin, deputy editor Lazzat Enab Mahsi, head of Prothom Alo online English section Ayesha Kabir and other senior journalists of the daily.