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National Youth Festival Ends

Call to build a nation free from injustice, corruption

Staff Correspondent
The two-day National Youth Festival styled Tarunner Mela' ended in the capital yesterday with a call to work together to build a nation free from injustice, inequality and corruption.
Views sharing meeting, question-answer session, town hall meetings and cultural programmes were held amid festivity on the concluding day.
The International Republican Institute (IRI) organised the festival in association with USAID at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.
Speaking as the chief guest of the day, Bangladesh cricket captain Mohammad Ashraful called on the youths to put in their best efforts to move the country forward.
"Bangladesh cricket team is also a team of youths and we have been trying to continue to move forward on the international stage," hesaid.
IR1 Resident Country Director Jeff Vanness and former cricket captain Naimur Rahman Durjoy also spoke in the morning session.
later, a view exchange meeting on 'Thoughts of young generation: Gender perspective' was held wi t h the participation of students from different institutions. Steps Towards Development organised the meeting.
Sejuti Mostofa, a student, said that in this patriarchal society, women are being deprived of many facilities, whereas men have been enjoying all kinds of opportunities.
"Parents should teach their children, especially the boys, that women are also human being and give them the opportunity to grow up as a human being," she said.
Imrul Kabir from Dhaka University (DU) said gender discrimination is commonplace in the family. So, the parents can play an important role in eliminating such discrimination.
Kanak A Islam, a student of Rahshahi University, said men and women are complementary to each other. Women have also played an equal role in all movements since
1952.
Ratna, a student of Jagannath University, said change in the mindset is a must to ensure equal rights of women in society.
Ranjan Karmaker, executive director of Steps Towards Development, Prof Dr Mehtab Khanam of DU, Munira Hossain Munni, a film activist, and Dr Nitai Das also spoke at the programme.
In the town hall meetings, academics, doctors, political leaders and former bureaucrats discussed the problems of Dhaka city.
In the first meeting. Dr Mohit Kamal of National Mental Institute spoke about drugs abuse and its prevention while Kamrul Islam Siddique, former secretary and president of Bangladesh Water Partnership, spoke about the traffic congestion.
Sharmin Nilurmi, associate professor of economics department of Jahangirnagar University, gave a lecture on waterlogging problems.
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, acting office secretary of BNP Dr Dipu Moni,
women affairs secretary of Awami League, and Shirin Akter, joint general secretary of Jaliya Samajtantrik Dal, took part in another town hall meeting.
Media personality Abdun Noor TUsher, who moderated the meetings, urged the political parties to create a space for students so that they can contribute to the develop ment of the country.
About 33 percent of youths will cast their votes for the first time in the upcoming election, he said and called on them to elect honest and ideal candidates.
Dhaka Youth Citizens Forum adopted a 'Dhaka Youth Declaration' identifying five main problems of Dhaka city - mosquito, drug addiction and unabated drug trade, electricity crisis, traffic congestion and waterlogging.
Around 40 organisations working on various issues such as democratic practices, development, health, civil and human rights took part in the festival. They set up stalls and arranged creative programmes.
Rupantar, an NGO, arranged cultural programmes where artistes performed Gambhira song, Baul song and Pot song.
Rupantar, Management Resources and Development Initiative, Steps Towards Development, Democracywatch, EWG, Nielsen, e-Zone, CCD, Nation Pulse and Jubo Nagorik Forum assisted in organising the festival.