Cultural unity is a major force for harmony in Bangladesh-India relations: Culture Minister

On Sunday morning, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi paid a courtesy call on the minister at the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. During the hour-long meeting, discussions were held on cultural relations between the two countries, Nazrul Year celebrations, artist and researcher exchange, and folk culture.

Nitai Roy Chowdhury said the true identity of a nation lies in its culture. Culture unites people instead of dividing them. He emphasised strengthening human values through literature, music, theatre and folk culture to counter religious extremism, intolerance and communal divisions.

The minister invited Nazrul researchers, artists and cultural personalities from India to participate in the various programmes of the ongoing Nazrul Year. He also mentioned Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Lalon Shah and Bengali folk music as important foundations of the shared cultural heritage of the two countries.

The meeting also discussed building a network for classical music between the two countries, training and cultural exchange for artists and young talents, and renewing the Bangladesh-India cultural cooperation agreement.

Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi said the relationship between Bangladesh and India is a bond of souls. The shared history, language, food habits and culture of the two countries have deepened mutual ties. He assured cooperation in international programmes around Nazrul in Churulia and regular joint activities among cultural institutions of the two countries.

Besides, discussions were held on joint training and cultural exchange for young talents and the possibility of joint research on preserving maritime cultural heritage centred around the Bay of Bengal. At the end of the meeting, both sides expressed their commitment to further strengthening cultural ties between the two countries on the basis of shared cultural heritage.