<span style="background-color: transparent;">The ten-day long celebration of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman birth centenary and the golden jubilee of the liberation of Bangladesh started in Bangladesh on Wednesday. The programme started on the day of the birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib on Wednesday and will conclude on 26 March marking the liberation day of Bangladesh.<br />''<br />''President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the visiting dignitary President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih for the ceremony held at the National Parade ground in Dhaka. <br />''<br />''The ceremony began in the afternoon with 100 children singing the national anthem to mark the opening of the programmes. They also performed songs of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, National poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and others at the function. <br />''<br />''Several world leaders including the Chinese President Xi Jinping, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga sent congratulatory messages on this occasion.<br />''<br />''The outdoors programmes are being organised only with a very limited number of invited guests in view of the surge in Covid 19 cases in the country.<br />''<br />''The day began with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina placing a wreath on the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib in front of the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi area of Dhaka.<br />''<br />''Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said that he was a champion of human rights and freedom and he is a hero for all Indians too. <br />''</span><br />''<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000;">Prime Minister Modi will arrive in Bangladesh on a two-day visit to take part in the celebrations on 26 March. During his visit he will hold discussions with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and also call on President Abdul Hamid. </span><br />