On 20th June 2023 (Tuesday) at 4:00 PM, at Abdul Karim Sahityabisharad Auditorium, Bangla Academy, Dhaka, on the occasion of the 112th birth anniversary of the founding president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP) and poet Sufia Kamal, a memorial speech and honoring ceremony named ‘Sufia Kamal and Young Generation’ was organized by BMP.
The event was presided over by the president of the organization, Dr. Fauzia Moslem.
About 300 people including leaders of the organization’s central committee and Dhaka city committee, prominent human rights leader Sultana Kamal, representatives of print and electronic media, and officers of the central office were present at the memorial speech and award-giving ceremony.
Dr. Fauzia Moslem, president of the organization, said in her speech, every year Bangladesh Mahila Parishad organizes a memorial speech event on Sufia Kamal’s birth anniversary. The theme of this year’s memorial speech is ‘Sufia Kamal: The Young Generation’. In a rich world of knowledge which was emphasized in the twenty-first century, she called upon the youth to find the nature of humanity. She said during her speech, Sufia Kamal will live forever among us as a passenger on the path of light.
Dr. Samant Lal Sen who was awarded the Sufia Kamal honor award, expressed his opinion. He said receiving this award in the name of a great personality like Sufia Kamal is the highest honor for me. He shared the incident of violence against women which he confront while providing medical services He also added that necessary initiatives have been taken on a large scale to continue the medical services for these women.
In the welcome speech, General Secretary Maleka Banu said that 111 years ago, society was dark for women when they were far away from the light of education and the outside world. But Sufia Kamal received family support for education and was surrounded by enlightened people which helped her develop humanity. She established herself as a feminist, humanist, and political figure. Her intuition led her to establish women’s rights. She led all progressive movements. She mobilized the youth, inculcated the spirit of freedom of thought, and created leadership in the movement for the establishment of women’s human rights.
Writer Zahid Reza Noor gave a commemorative speech about poet Sufia Kamal. He discussed the nature of the social system, communalism, bigotry, political context, the conflict between religion and culture, nationalism, and capitalism during the period 1948 to 1971, and along with this, poet Sufia Kamal’s constant struggle to establish women’s human rights.
The program was conducted by organizational secretary Ummey Salma Begum.
