Little wonder that history honours Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as Bangabandhu, Father of the Nation of the brand new Bangladesh that he galvanised and led his brave compatriots to create half a century ago. In the words of his illustrious daughter, the honourable Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, "Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was able to make the dream of freedom that Bengalis had been dreaming for a thousand years come true".

It is in the fitness of things, therefore, that a profoundly grateful nation celebrates the centenary of the birth of the extraordinary leader who matched the hour and delivered what has come to be known as the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Born on March 17, 1920, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the first President of Bangladesh and served later as the Prime Minister from April 17, 1971, serving his country throughout until his brutal assassination on August 15, 1975.

Since the founding of the nation in 1971, the People's Republic of Bangladesh has been a country on the move, with its head held high and eyes focused on the future. Today, Bangladesh is a success story of an amazing order, growing by leaps and bounds, in all spheres of human and societal development, and is all set to graduate to the status of a developing country, in tandem with Bhutan, in 2023.

Bangladesh and Bhutan meet at multiple points—diplomatic, social, cultural, economic and human, above all. We are the founding members of the SAARC family of nations and belong to the BIMSTEC fraternity, apart from being members of several regional and international institutions.

Bhutan has followed closely the birth and evolution of the great nation with immense pride and deep involvement. The Father of Modern Bhutan Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck was the first Head of State, and Bhutan the first country in the world, to recognise Bangladesh as an independent, sovereign country poised to chart her own chosen destiny, befitting the sacred dreams and aspirations of a great people with an amazing heritage.

His Majesty's letter of December 6, 1971 addressed to the Acting President of Bangladesh was as passionate as it was direct, befitting the compelling call of the moment and the wish for the well-being of the new nation. The personal involvement of Bhutan's King and her people during a most crucial period in its history was most graciously acknowledged by the Government of Bangladesh, and over the years, the friendship forged in need has flourished in diverse spheres indeed.

Bhutan and Bangladesh share the same hopes and dreams for our people and our nations, and indeed, for our planet Earth and the world. We care for our children and their future, and the future of humanity, and are committed to securing their well-being as our common commitment. Forged over many years by successive generations of our leaders, the Bangladesh-Bhutan relationship celebrates personal bonds between heads of states and governments and links our farmers in remote communities. 

Besides our ever-growing trade partnership, the Bangladesh-Bhutan collaboration has expanded into educational, health, environmental, technological, agricultural, artistic and even spiritual spheres, enriched by a mutually supportive spirit based on integrity and goodwill at each level. Bangladesh has opened its heart and its doors to generations of Bhutanese scholars and citizens who have brought home strategic expertise in critical fields, even as experts from Bangladesh have earned the respect of the Bhutanese people and the government for their valuable service in diverse fields. The recent signing of the Preferential Trade Agreement is the happy culmination of many years of exemplary goodwill and close partnership.

People-to-people relationships have been a most beautiful element of our bilateral engagement over the years.

As Bangabandhu told the BBC in 1971, "My greatest strength is the love for my people; my greatest weakness is that I love them too much". As the deeply grateful People's Republic of Bangladesh celebrates the golden jubilee of the founding of the great nation, and honours the timeless legacy of the Father of the Nation, this land of myriad colours and contrasts can take legitimate pride in the multiple milestones that it has crossed as a vanguard of innovation and enterprise, bold experiments and breath-taking achievements.

Unremitting challenges posed by natural calamities and lingering economic disparities have not deterred this buoyant nation that provides home and hearth to the displaced and the deprived, even as it sends it sons and daughters to keep peace in the troubled regions of the world far away from home, as the country pursues its expanding role in global affairs.      

This land of geniuses, artists and philanthropists, thought-leaders and path-finders, tillers of soil and makers of masterpieces, riders on the sea, builders on land, and gazers of the sky, is a gift as Nature gave it, and a miracle as its recipients made it by right and responsibility.

On the most joyous occasion of the golden jubilee year of the establishment of the People's Republic of Bangladesh and the year-long celebration of the birth centenary of Jatir Janak Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I offer my fervent prayers for the blessings of peace, prosperity and happiness for the great nation and the people of Shonar Bangla forever.

The timeless legacy of one of the greatest statesmen of the modern age continues, as in the reflections of Anandashankar Roy: "As long as Padma, Meghna, Gouri and Jamuna flow, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, your accomplishments will also live on…"

The liberator and founder of the incredible nation of many blessings and limitless possibilities, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman belongs not only to Bangladesh, but to the world. 

May the silken knot of the Bangladesh-Bhutan relationship grow stronger with each passing year.

Thakur S Powdyel is Former Minister of Education of the Royal Government of Bhutan.