A painting competition titled "Yuri Gagarin: The First Man in Space" was held Friday in Dhaka on the occasion of International Day of Human Space Flight.

The programme was held under the initiative of the Russian House in Dhaka (formerly the Russian Cultural Centre) in cooperation with the Bangladesh Astronomical Association (BAA).

Gagarin became a household name throughout the world, when on April 12, 1961 he became the first human in space when he orbited Earth aboard the Vostok 1 space capsule.

Accordingly, April 12 is the date to celebrate

Director of Russian House in Dhaka Pavel Dvoychenkov opened the competition and in his speech, talked about Yuri Gagarin's childhood, professional life and his historic space flight, as well as the history of the Russian space program and scientific activities and their impact on global progress in this field.

Students of Viqarunnisa Noon School & College, the government laboratory high school, Scholastica school and other different educational institutions in Dhaka participated in the painting competition. The program was also attended by the Executive Members from Bangladesh Astronomical Association, the Bangladesh National Science and Technology Museum, Dhaka and the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theatre, as well as teachers of various educational institutions.

After the competition, the Director of Russian House in Dhaka distributed commemorative souvenirs and certificates to the winners.