On the occasion of 91st birth anniversary (July 23) of Tajuddin Ahmad, the first Prime Minister of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh, a month-long photography exhibition is currently underway at Gallery 21 in the city’s Dhanmondi area. Organised by Tajuddin Ahmad Smriti Sangsad, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed delivered speech as chief guest at the opening ceremony on Saturday. Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque and veteran lawyer Dr Kamal Hossain, among others, were also present at the event, which was moderated by Tajuddin’s daughter Simeen Hussain Rimi.
Tofail Ahmed said, “Bangabandhu and Tajuddin Ahmad were the substitute of each other. We earned victory in the Liberation War under their leadership. Tajuddin Ahmad understood the language of Bangabandhu. What does Bangabandhu want to do, what does he want to say—Tajuddin Ahmad understood that. He proved by sacrificing his life that he was not a traitor. His contribution will be remembered forever in the history.” Minister AKM Mozammel Haque and Dr Kamal Hossain also recalled their memories about Tajuddin Ahmad’s life and work.
The exhibition includes photographs from Tajuddin Ahmad’s personal life to different phases of his political life. The show also features various photos from the time of Mujibnagar Government headed by Tajuddin Ahmad.
The month-long exhibition is open to all.
To note, Tajuddin Ahmad (July 23, 1925 – November 3, 1975) was a Bangladeshi statesman and freedom fighter. He served as the first Prime Minister of Bangladesh and led the wartime Provisional Government during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Ahmad is regarded as one of the most influential and instrumental figures in the birth of Bangladesh, due to his leadership of the Provisional Government in 1971, in which he united the various political, military and cultural forces of Bangladeshi nationalism.
On November 3, in what became infamously known as the ‘Jail Killing Day’, Ahmad along with Syed Nazrul Islam, A.H.M. Qamaruzzaman and Muhammad Mansur Ali were killed at midnight by a group of army officers on the instruction of President Khondaker Mostaq Ahmed.