The iconic New Year’s ball drop billboard in New York City’s Times Square will exhibit highlights of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s life and work on Aug 15 - the National Mourning Day in Bangladesh.
The initiative started by a Bangladeshi expatriate named Fahim Feroj has received support from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and expatriate freedom fighters.
Feroj, the CEO of New York-based marketing firm NY Dreams Production, says the exhibition will begin on Aug 15 at first light.
The exhibit will take up the entirety of the screen every 2 minutes and 15 seconds for 24 hours. It will be displayed 720 times and be on screen for a total of three hours.
The exhibit will feature some particular memories from Bangabandhu’s historic Mar 7 address, MM Emrul Kayas, the assistant press secretary to the prime minister, told bdnews24.com.
There will also be some images and captions showcasing the movements and protests in which the Father of the Nation was involved. They will also highlight his bravery and sacrifice.
People across the world watch the ball drop to celebrate New Year’s Eve over this billboard in Times Square every year. Hundreds of thousands of people pass through the tourist destination each year.
Expatriate Bangladeshis living in New York have also organised a programme to commemorate the memory of Bangabandhu on Aug 15. The US Sector Commanders Forum held a meeting on Friday to support the programme.
Khondokar Monsur, freedom fighter and president of the US Bangabandhu Foundation, and Abdul Kader Miah, the organisation’s general secretary, called upon people to participate in the exhibition in Times Square while following health regulations.
Like in previous years, the New York Metropolitan branch of the Awami League and an organisation named ‘Jackson Heights Residents’ will also hold daylong programmes to commemorate National Mourning Day.
