Rotary in Bangladesh has celebrated the 70 years of accession of Queen Elizabeth by lighting a beacon.

At a ceremony on Thursday night at the Dhaka Club Ltd in the capital, Rotary leaders led by District Governor Mutasim Billah Faruqui of Rotary District 3281 gathered to light up a beacon as part of a series of celebrations to show respect to the Queen.

Also read: ​​​​​​​Commonwealth missions in Dhaka celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 70-year reign

Discussions and a cultural function were held in Dhaka while in the UK the 96-year-old monarch kicked off a four-day celebration. With a symbolic touch of the Commonwealth Globe of Nations, which was placed on a podium, the Queen set off a chain of lights leading to the Principal Beacon outside Buckingham Palace on Thursday.

The Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, marking her service to the people of the United Kingdom and the Realms and the Commonwealth. Princess Elizabeth ascended to the throne at age 25 when her father, King George VI, died in 1952. She was officially crowned as the Queen on June 2, 1953.

In Dhaka, the Rotary leaders appreciated the longstanding and significant relationship between Bangladesh and the UK and hoped that the bonding would continue to grow, said a press release on Friday. 

The Platinum Jubilee celebration was attended by the event's Chief Advisor and Rotary District Governor for 2024-25 Ibrahim Khalil Al-Zayad Pinak, Rotary District Chief Advisor PDG Magfur Uddin Ahamed, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Malta Shoeb Chowdhury and other Rotary leaders under Rotary International District 3281.

Also read: Queen Elizabeth II to miss Jubilee service amid 'discomfort'

More than 300 clubs under the District 3281 in Bangladesh work under Rotary International, headquartered in Illinois in the United States, in various fields including water and sanitation, maternal and child health, environment, basic education and literacy, disease prevention, conflict resolution and community economic development. In Bangladesh alone, Rotary has spent around 300 crore taka to fight against polio.