The three-day 40th Jatiya Rabindra Sangeet Sammelan is all set to welcome music enthusiasts from all over the country Friday at the National Theatre Hall of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) in Dhaka. This year's convention, organised by the Jatiya Rabindra Sangeet Sammelan Parishad (JRSP), will feature discussions, recitations, and competitions on Tagore songs. Around 700 artists, organisers and cultural activists will be join the 40th edition of the convention, JRSP Central General Secretary Bulbul Islam told the media Wednesday. "The 40th Jatiyo Rabindra Sangeet Sammelan is going to be held at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Ashwin 29-31, 1429 and October 14-16. Eminent educationist and academic scholar Professor Syed Akram Hossain will inaugurate the conference. Renowned academician Professor Syed Manjurul Islam will join the event as the chief guest," Bulbul said. He added that this year, JRSP will honour two of its late members and pioneering Rabindra Sangeet artists, academicians and organisers  – Nilotpal Sadhya and Mita Haque. The three-day convention will officially be inaugurated on October 14 at 9:30am through Bodhan Sangeet. The final phase of the National Rabindra Sangeet competition in youth category will be held on the same day at 2:30 pm, and general category on October 15 at 9:30am. The evening session of all three days will have events such as Subachan Rabirashmi, Geeti Alekhya, recitation, reading, dance and song by revered Tagore exponents. Read: Tagore, Dostoyevsky, Pushkin revisited at DU, ULAB A special seminar will take place on the second day at 4pm on "the role of culture in creating a harmonious society." Mofidul Haque, Liberation War Museum trustee and keynote speaker of the event, will deliver the lecture at the seminar which will be presided over by Dr Sarwar Ali. Freedom fighter and cultural personality Nasiruddin Yousuff Bachchu and Professor Sadhan Ghosh will speak at the event. The journey of JRSP, formerly Zahidur Rahim Smriti Parishad, started on the death anniversary of artist Zahidur Rahim in 1979. The organisation later changed its name in honour of Rabindranath Tagore. JRSP has been organising this annual convention since 1981 to promote Tagore songs among the youth. This year's convention is open to all music enthusiasts and will conclude on October 16 at BSA's National Theatre Hall.

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Tuesday said inequality and exploitation still prevail in the country as the dream of independence is yet to be fulfilled, even after 50 years of the Liberation War. “The dream with which the great Liberation War was organised and the purpose for which the heroic martyrs sacrificed their lives that dream has not been materialized yet,” he said. The Jatiya Party chief also said the struggle to implement the spirit of the Liberation War is not over yet. “Our politics will continue to materialise the dream of the Liberation War.” READ: Bring down fuel prices in line with global market fall: GM Quader He made the remarks while talking to reporters after paying tributes to martyred intellectuals by placing a wreath at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at Mirpur in the city, marking the Martyred Intellectuals Day. GM Quader said the Liberation War was organised with the aim of freeing the nation from discrimination and exploitation. “The Pakistanis had discriminated against us. At that time, Pakistanis made Bengalis the second-class citizens and they deprived us of all rights,” he said. The Jatiya Party chairman said fighting against inequality and exploitation was the main spirit of the Liberation War. “Even in the 50 years of independence, we’ve not been able to rise above inequality and we’ve not been able to build a society free from exploitation.” He said there has been now inequality between the ruling party and the opposition. ”Billions of dollars are being siphoned off abroad from the country. So, the self-sacrifices of millions of martyrs in the great Liberation War and the exchange of chastity of mothers and sisters and the highest sacrifice of the martyred intellectuals have not yet succeeded.” READ: UP polls: GM Quader says no change in centre-capturing culture GM Quader said their party will move forward to build a new Bangladesh free from discrimination and exploitation. “We want to build that Bangladesh for which the heroic martyrs sacrificed their lives.”