The 101st birth anniversary of the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will be celebrated today.

A 10-day special celebration will begin today marking Sheikh Mujib’s birth centenary and the golden jubilee of the country’s independence.  State dignitaries from five countries will join the programmes in Dhaka.

Maldives president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is scheduled to arrive today to join the opening day’s programmes and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi is set to arrive to join the concluding day’s programme on March 26.

Sri Lankan prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will arrive in Dhaka on March 19, Nepal’s president Bidya Devi Bhandari on March 22 and Bhutanese prime minister Lotay Tshering is scheduled to be in the capital on  March 24 to join the celebrations.

In addition to the government, ruling Awami League and its associate organisations as well as some other political, socio-cultural and professional organisations across the country have chalked out various programmes to mark the Mujib Year.

The Mujib Year, the yearlong celebration of Mujib’s birth centenary, began on his 100th birthday on March 17, 2020 with a limited number of programmes as most of the programmes were revised due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The day is also National Children’s Day and a public holiday.

The theme of this year’s birthday of Sheikh Mujib and National Children’s Day is Bangabandhur Janmadin, Shishur Ridoy Hoke Rangin (Let Children’s Hearts Rejoice in the Birthday of Bangabandhu).

The overall theme of the 10-day event is Mujib Chirantan (Mujib is Immortal), but every day’s event has a separate theme.

Vengechho Duar Esechho Jotirmoy ( Out of the Womb You Came, the Man of Light) is the theme of the March 17 event while Mohakaler Torjoni (The Eternal Forefinger) is for March 18, Jotokal Robe Padma Jamuna (As long as the Padma and the Jamuna flow) for March 19, Tarunyer Alokshikha (Lighthouse for the Youth) for March 20, Dhongsostupe Jiboner Gan (Song of Life amid the Debris) for March 21, Banglar Mati, Amar Mati (Bangla is My Land) for March 22, Nari Mukti, Samya o Swadhinata (Women Liberation, Equality and Freedom) for March 23, Shanti, Mukti o Manobotar Agrodoot ( A Pioneer for Peace, Emancipation and Humanity) for March 24, Gonohotyar Kalratri o Aloker Avijatra ( The Dark Night of Genocide and the Journey toward Light) for March 25 and Swadhinatar Panchash Bachhar o Agragatir Subarnarekha (Fifty Years of Independence and the Golden Path to Progress ) for the March 26 event.

About 500 guests from both home and abroad will attend events at the National Parade Ground on March 17, 19, 22, 24 and 26.

All the programmes, including the March 18, 20, 21, 23 and 25 ones, will be aired on television channels, online and the social media.