26 March, our independence day, is one of the most important state festivals. The day is celebrated every year in the country with great enthusiasm and fervour. It is a national holiday. All offices, educational institutions, shops and factories remain closed on this day. The day begins with a 31gun salute.

Early in the morning the President and the Prime Minister, on behalf of the nation place floral wreaths at the National Mausoleum at Savar. Then other leaders, political parties, diplomats, social and cultural organizations, educational institutions and freedom fighters pay homage to the martyrs? People from all walks of life also go there in rallies and processions. There are many cultural programmes throughout the day, high lighting the heroic struggle and sacrifice in 1971.

In Bangabandhu National Stadium, school children, scouts and girl guides take part in various displays to entertain thousands of spectators. Educational institutions also organize their individual programmes. Sports meets and tournaments are also organized on the day, including the exciting boat race in the river Buriganga. In the evening, all major public buildings are illuminated with colourful lights.j Bangla Academy e Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and other socio-cultural organizations hold cultural functions Similar functions are also arranged other places in the country.

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Mainul Islam is a qualified farmer in Naogaon. Mr. Islam was very brilliant as a student. He took his higher education from Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh. He then came back home and started advanced farming. He has two other brothers who are graduates in different disciplines. The specialty of the Islam family is that they all are living in their village and all are renowned in their own fields. Mr. Islam's younger brother who is a Rajshahi University graduate, is a science teacher in a local school. His youngest brother is a Social Science graduate who likes to start a local NGO to work for this area. When asked, "What makes you decide to stay here in this village?" Mr. Islam smiled and said, "Look, it's true that we could leave this village for city life. I could be a banker or my brothers could be bureaucrats. But it did not attract us. We are sons of this soil. Yes, we have education but does education prepare a person only to be an officer? Don't we have any obligation to the soil that has made us what we are?" He also added that not every educated individual should be a job seeker. He added that since his discipline was agriculture, after his education he took the occupation of a farmer. In response to the question whether they had any frustration living in a village, he confirmed that they were indeed very pleased with their life. He said, "I work in my own farm, stay with my family members, pass time with my old friends, and sleep at my own home. All these count a lot."" Mr. Islam is right. Many people go to cities and forget or loosen their roots knowingly or unknowingly. Mr. Islam and his brothers are great-they haven't forgotten their roots. They not only stuck to their own roots, they have been torch bearers for others to be respectful of their roots.

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Michael Madhusudan Dutt, popularly known as Madhusudan, was a celebrated 19th century Bangalee poet and dramatist. He was born in Sagordari on the bank of the Kopotaksho River, a village in Keshabpur Upazila under Jashore district.

From an early age. Dutt aspired to be an Englishman in form and manner. Though he was born in a sophisticated Hindu family, he converted to Christianity as a young man, much to the ire of his family and adopted the first name Michael. In his childhood, he was recognised by his teachers as a precious child with a gift of literary talent. His early exposure to English education and European literature at home and his college inspired him to imitate the English in taste, manners and intellect.

Since his adolescence he started believing that he was born on the wrong side of the planet and that his society was unable to appreciate his talent. He also believed that the west would be more receptive to his creative genius.

Madhusudan was an ardent follower of the famous English poet Lord Byron. So after adopting Christianity, he went to Europe and started composing poems and plays in English. They showed his higher level of intellectual ability. However, he failed to gain the right appreciation. To his utter frustration he found that he was not esteemed as a native writer of English literature. Out of his frustration he composed a sonnet in Bangla "Kopotaksha Nad" which earned him huge reputation in Bangla. Gradually he could realise that his true identity lay in Bengal and he was a sojourner in Europe. Afterwards he regretted his fascination for England and the West. He came back to Bengal and devoted himself to Bangla literature from this period. He has written the first Bangla epic "Meghnad Badh Kabya".

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