Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen Friday said that the historic ‘Concert for Bangladesh’, the charity event organised during the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh, helped spread the news to the world about the combat's real scenario. "During the Liberation War, many foreigners and their countries supported us and helped us with financial assistance, and one such exceptional example was the 'Concert for Bangladesh' organised in New York in 1971. Joined by 40,000 people, that concert eventually spread the name of Bangladesh to the world and let people know the actual scenario," he said. Read: Genocide against Rohingya: Bangladesh welcomes ICJ's rejection of Myanmar claims The FM shared his remarks at a discussion programme titled 'The Concert for Bangladesh and Contribution of Foreign Friends in the Liberation War' which was organised at the premiere of the documentary ‘Ekti Desh-er Jonno Gaan’ (Songs for a Country), directed by journalist-writer Shamim Al Amin, at the Liberation War Museum in the capital on Friday. Jointly organised by the world-famous Indian sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar and English singer-songwriter and the iconic English rock band ‘The Beatles’ lead guitarist George Harrison at the historic Maddison Square Garden in New York on August 1, 1971, the concert got its befitting tribute in the documentary, Momen said at the event.

Commemorating the historic 1971-Concert for Bangladesh, the ICT Ministry organized, at the same Madison Square Garden, another concert, evoking the precedence of 'melody for humanity' set by the world's all-time best musicians, said Prime Minister's ICT Advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy. Sharing the vibe of the concert, Joy, who was singing and cheering as part of the crowd, wrote from his verified Facebook account, "This weekend I relived that moment as we paid tribute to that melody-for-humanity event through another concert on the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh". Read: Dhaka, Seoul to work together for their prosperity Reminiscing the unforgettable lyric by George Harrison on war-torn Bangladesh, 'My friend came to me/ With sadness in his eyes/ He told me that he wanted help/ Before his country dies', he wrote, "Beatles' star George Harrison didn't just write and compose the song but also went on to think about doing something that might help the people of Bangladesh, a victim of one of history's worst genocides. He reached out to maestros like Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton, who also agreed to drum up support for the cause. Rest is history. Concert for Bangladesh set the precedence of helping a victim-of-war nation through a concert." "Whenever I watch it on YouTube, it takes me back to a golden moment - George Harrison singing the song Bangladesh, Bob Dylan rendering 'How many roads a man must walk down', and Pundit Ravi Shankar playing his fingers on his sitar like a storm. They are sharing the same stage!" he added. "The dream for Bangladesh, as the world's all-time greatest rock stars and musical masters had seen, came true as the war-torn country back in 1971 is now an epitome of sustained progress and development. From the engineering masterpiece Padma Bridge to the technological feat Bangabandhu Satellite, Bangladesh has made inspiring history. Still, no success story goes unchallenged by a few people with wrong intentions," he mentioned. Calling upon the country’s people to stand vigilant against the peddlers of religion and supporters of war criminals, he said, "We must be careful so that the ghosts of war criminals cannot bring the dark chapters back." Read: Current geopolitical situation creating more opportunities for closer Dhaka-Seoul ties: Envoy Joy said they must show zero tolerance to the peddlers of religion. "We must stand united on our promise for Golden Bengal on this Golden Jubilee. Let's sing Harrison's Bangladesh together once more and let the world hear it. This time the promise on this Golden Jubilee is to build Golden Bangla, the dream of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman." Scorpions rocked the stage on Sunday while Bangladeshi band Chirkutt appeared there as a guest performer.

Sunday, 1st of August marked the 50th anniversary of the historic ‘Concert for Bangladesh’, the charity concert organized for the aid of Bangladesh during the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh by world-famous Indian sitar maestro Pandit Sri Ravi Shankar, and English singer, songwriter, and lead guitarist of The Beatles, George Harrison at the historic Madison Square Garden, New York. Initiated with a mission to draw international attention to the war genocide and fund relief for refugees from then East Pakistan, the pair of concerts was organized on August 1st, 1971 featuring legendary names in world music including Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russell and more. Read:Joy Bangla Concert: Rock stars share best memories The Concert for Bangladesh is acknowledged as the first such charity concert for a humanitarian cause, that paved the way for many later events such as BandAid, LiveAid and Live8. Although the ongoing global pandemic of Covid-19 prevented any massive-scale celebration in the country, the historic day has been observed with deep respect and a couple of significant arrangements as tributes to the historic charity concert that addressed Bangladesh to many of the music lovers around the world. Honouring the legacy of the historic concert, London-based UBIK Productions and Samdani Art Foundation (Dhaka) organized a unique online concert titled ‘Concert from Bangladesh’ on Sunday, supported by the British Council Digital Collaboration Fund. The mixed reality concert, streamed live at the Pioneer Works' online platform on Sunday at 6 pm (Bangladesh time) enthralled audiences through an exclusive audio-visual journey divided into an expansive three-act, featuring renowned Baul singer Arif Baul accompanied by instrumental artists Nazrul Islam, Saidur Rahman, and Sohel; an exclusive piece on the second act composed by Enayet Kabir and Nishit Dey, exploring the shared musical language between Nazrul Sangeet, classical raga, and 90s music utilizing the cutting edge electronic production and arrangements by Enayet Kabir, Provhat Rahman and Adittya Arzu, also known as Siaminium, with classical raga and Nazrul Sangeet by Meerashri Arshee and Moumita Haque, Bansuri flute by Jawaad Mustakim Al Muballig and Nishit Dey on sitar - and the concluding act by the popular Bangladeshi hip hop duo, the 12-year-old 'Gully Boy' Rana alongside Tabib Mahmud. Read:Bands pay tribute to Joy Bangla Concert Acclaimed British-South Asian artist Shezad Dawood crafted the virtual reality stage for the concert with having the historical-intellectual hub Beauty Boarding, the riverbanks of Gorai River in Kushtia and Somapura Mahavihara in Paharpur, Naoga on the background. The concert was co-curated by Diana Campbell, Artistic Director of the SAF, alongside music producer and artist Enayet Kabir, assistant curators Ruxmini Choudhury and Shoummo Saha. Inspired by the virtuous concept of the charity Concert for Bangladesh, all proceeds from this unique concert will be distributed between the performing musicians and Bangladeshi charity organisation, Friendship, which offers healthcare for climate change refugees and promotes women's rights in Bangladesh. Earlier, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar on Sunday unveiled a commemorative stamp worth Tk 10 and an opening envelope worth Tk 10 from his office in Dhaka, alongside a data card worth Tk 5, honouring the historic concert. Read:‘Music Against Hunger’: The charity concert for an era of pandemic Meanwhile, State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak unveiled a special commemorative book titled 'The Country That Lived - Fifty Years of Freedom and the Concert for Bangladesh' on Saturday. The ‘Concert for Bangladesh’, joined by 40,000 live audiences at the Madison Square Garden in New York City is considered the trailblazing event that revolutionized many all-star charity events that have followed ever since.