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Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah on Saturday described the India-Bangladesh relationship as organic and rooted in mutual interdependence, stressing that differences in views and approaches should not come in the way of continued engagement and dialogue between the two countries.
Speaking to ANI, Hamidullah said the geographical proximity and deep people-to-people links between India and Bangladesh make sustained engagement essential. This is a relationship which, on several occasions, I have said is organic and based on mutual interdependence. It is a relationship which is in our shared interests, Hamidullah said. The Bangladesh envoy acknowledged that, like any close relationship, India and Bangladesh can have differences in views, perspectives and approaches. Like any other relationship, and when we have such intimate shared geography, it is only logical that we may have differences in views, perspectives, and sometimes approaches as well, but despite those differences, we must remain engaged and carry on the conversation, he said. Hamidullah also called for expanding people-to-people engagement between the two countries, particularly among students and educational institutions. We need to unpack the interaction between people far more than it is today. For example, among students, among school-going children and among universities, he said, adding that such engagement could reach millions of people and make a distinct difference. Reflecting on the significance of the Ilish Fest, Hamidullah said the annual event was not merely about celebrating culinary heritage but also about using food and culture to bring people together. Ilish is a fish which makes every Bengali, whether from Bangladesh or any part of India, literally rejoice or maybe dance, he said. Ilish is not only about economics; sometimes it gets into politics as well, he added. Hamidullah said the Bangladesh High Commission first hosted the festival on September 27 last year and chose to hold it again exactly a year later as a reflection of the deeper significance of the occasion. I realised that it is not simply about celebrating a culinary heritage. Ilish, to me, is a symbol. When you bring people together, not only do they get sparked into conversation, but you also mellow a lot of lines and apprehensions, and create a sense of togetherness, he said. The envoy, who is approaching the completion of his one-and-a-half-year tenure in New Delhi, described the event as a modest gesture of gratitude towards people he had interacted with across different sections of Indian society. I stand at the cusp of completing my 1.5-year term in Delhi. Holding it this time was a modest way of saying thank you to so many friends from different strata of society, economy, and polity, and to say that this is a relationship which has moved deeply with the people of India, Hamidullah said. He also highlighted the presence of several prominent Indian personalities at the festival, saying their participation reflected the events broader objective of bringing people together. In the presence of the likes of Manishankar Aiyar, MJ Akbar, Syeda Hameed, Jyoti Malhotra and Ashis Nandy, when we all stood together, shoulder to shoulder, I think that was another way of bringing people together from India, in India, he said. While it was fun, I think it also struck several important chords, the Bangladesh envoy added. (ANI)
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