What is different about this year is that for the first time since returning to power as Prime Minister in 2009, she will be in Dhaka for her birthday, thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Previously, more-or-less every year from 2009 to 2019, her birthday was spent in New York City or its surroundings, where she would be attending the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly, held every September. This year, the pandemic has forced even world leaders to resort to Zoom or sending in their recorded messages for the main centrepiece event that stretches till the end of the month.
Thus we find the PM on home soil this year, amongst her near and dear ones on her birthday, as she turns 73.
Awami League (AL) and its associate bodies and other organizations will observe the day with various programs, including round table discussions, colorful rallies, processions, and photo exhibitions in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country.
As a part of the AL central programs, a discussion will be held at Dhaka's Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) auditorium with AL Presidium Member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury in the chair.
AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader also will speak at the event.
Also, milad and doa mahfils will be held, and special prayers will be offered at mosques, churches and temples across the country.
Also read: Hasina turns 73
A milad and doa mahfil will be held at Baitul Jame Mosque centrally for the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the eldest of the five children of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was born on September 28, 1947 in Tungipara of Gopalganj.