Tigers make history
2015 has been the best year in the history of Bangladesh cricket – a year of wins that gave rise to the term “Banglawash”. Under the guidance of coach Chandika Hathurusingha, Bangladesh reached the quarter-finals of the ICC World Cup for the first time, only to be defeated by India in a match that was mired with controversial decisions. However, we then went on to whitewash Pakistan in the ODI series in March, as well as revenge ourselves against India with a 2-1 ODI series win in June. This was only the beginning, and our cricket team went on to achieve ODI series wins against South Africa in July and Zimbabwe in November. A glorious year for Bangladeshi cricket, history was made when we won five consecutive series on home soil. This year also gave us Mustafizur Rahman, the only bowler to take 13 wickets in his first three ODIs and become Man of the Match on both his Test and ODI débuts.
Prime Minister as leading global thinker
Determined by the influential Washington-based journal Foreign Policy, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made it to the aristocratic club of 100 leading global thinkers of the world. She has been ranked among the 13 top global thinkers in the category “Decision-makers” for her exceptional contribution in addressing the issue of climate change. In the past, US President Barack Obama, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Mayanmar Leader Aung San Suu Kyi and former US President Bill Clinton were among the global leaders placed in this respected list.
Bangladesh on Seven Summits
This year, mountaineer, activist, social worker and writer Wasfia Nazreen became the first Bangladeshi and only Bengali to climb the highest mountains on the seven continents of the world. Nazreen completed the Seven Summits record following mountaineer Reinhold Messner’s variations, and was recognised by National Geographic as one of their Adventurers of the Year 2014/2015. On 18 November, she reached the summit of Carstensz Pyramid, the tallest mountain in Oceania, thus completing a four year long journey to the Seven Summits. She dedicated this incredible achievement to the “Spirit of 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh and all those who are fighting to protect it.”
Champions of the Earth
In September 2015, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received the highest environmental accolade of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the Champions of the Earth award, in recognition of Bangladesh’s far-reaching initiatives in addressing problems induced by climate change under her leadership. Bangladesh’s first-off-the-block initiatives to prepare the ecologically fragile country for the challenges it faces from climate change were acknowledged through this award.
Lower-middle income status
Bangladesh has graduated from the status of lower income country to that of lower-middle income country in 2015, according to World Bank. This is the first time that the country has moved out of the low-income margin, joining those with gross national incomes per capita (GNI) of $1,046 to $4,125. What is even more extraordinary is that this has been achieved some six years ahead of the government’s projected timeline, since Bangladesh was set to cross the threshold of a middle income economy by 2021.
The sky is no longer the limit
This year, for the first time in the history of Bangladesh, Captain Nazia Nusrat Hossain and Captain Shahrina Bintea Anwar became the first female pilots in the Bangladesh Army. The two female probationer pilots successfully managed their single and dual flight in the army aviation group (flight training organisation of army) in October 2015. The statement signed by ISPR Assistant Director Rezaul Karim Shammi said the addition of female pilots in Bangladesh Army would open a new horizon and the two female pilots would work as a source of inspiration for Bangladeshi women.
Tulip Siddiq becomes British MP
Granddaughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and eldest daughter of Sheikh Rehana, Tulip Siddiq made it to the House of Commons in the UK general election as a candidate of the Labour Party. Polling 23,977 votes, Tulip won the Hampstead and Kilburn seat by defeating the Conservative Party’s Simon Marcus. Previously a local councillor and Cabinet Member for Culture and Communities in Camden council, Tulip has spent weekends campaigning since she was 16 and has vowed to fight to save local hospitals, fire stations and post offices.
Year of festivals
November 2015 kicked off with the Jazz and Blues Festival, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, boasting names like John McLaughlin and Louis Banks, as well as a number of talented singers and troupes from six different countries. This was closely followed by the Dhaka Literary Festival, which featured speakers from all over the world, including Nobel Prize laureate Harold Varmus, famous British journalist Jon Snow, top Cuban sci-fi writer Yoss, Palestinian poets Ghassan Zaqtan and Fady Joudah, and many more. While we barely had time to catch our breath from this incredible meeting of minds, it was time for the Dhaka International Folk Festival, with Sufi legend Abida Parvin and our very own Momotaz Begum wowing the thousands of people who attended. Finally, this hectic but incredible month was rounded off by the Bengal Classical Music Festival, with return performances from classical heavyweights Hariprasad Chaurasia and Shivkumar Sharma, as well as an incredible first time performance from the legendary Zakir Hussain.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
