The Bay of Bengal

The Nakshi Kantha is a centuries-old embroidered quilt born in the villages of Bengal. Made from worn saris and dhotis layered together, then stitched with intricate patterns of flowers, birds, fish, rivers, and folk motifs — every kantha is a story told in thread. Mothers stitched them for daughters as wedding gifts. Grandmothers stitched them for newborns as blessings. No two are ever the same. It is one of the oldest art forms in South Asia, and it has always belonged to women.

Bangladesh has stood with Palestine from the moment it became a nation. When Israel applied for UN membership in 1949 and again sought recognition over the decades, Bangladesh refused — and to this day, Bangladeshi passports state they are valid for travel to all countries except Israel. Freedom fighters recognize freedom fighters. A people who fought for their own existence in 1971 understand what it means to have your land, your language, and your right to exist denied. Bangladesh has never wavered. We stand with Palestine because we know what occupation feels like.

December 16, 1971. After nine months of war, after three million lives lost, after two hundred thousand women violated, after refugees by the millions fleeing to India — the Pakistani army surrendered in Dhaka. Bangladesh was born free. The red sun on a green field rose for the first time as the flag of an independent nation. This is the day our grandparents fought for. The day our parents inherited. The day everything we are became possible. Joy Bangla — Victory to Bengal.

April 10, 1971. With the country under occupation and Sheik Mujibur Rahman imprisoned, the leaders of the Bangladesh independence movement gathered to formally proclaim a sovereign nation. The Proclamation of Independence was signed, declaring Bangladesh free, establishing a provisional government in exile, and laying the legal foundation for a nation that did not yet exist on any map. It was the most courageous document ever signed by Bengalis. The Shaheed Minar — the monument to the language martyrs of 1952 — watches over its memory. The pen that signed it changed everything.