PM Modi, Sheikh Hasina to hold virtual summit today, discuss India-Bangladesh relationship

Sources said the Haldibari-Chilahati rail link was part of the broad gauge main route from Kolkata to Siliguri but the war of 1965 effectively cut off all the railway links.

To revive this erstwhile rail link, both sides have restored the link enhancing connectivity and people-to-people links on both sides, the sources said.

The sources said Haldibari-Chilahati route will enhance connectivity to Assam and West Bengal from Bangladesh. Work is also progressing on the rail link connecting Agartala and Akhaura.

Bangladesh is commemorating the year 2020 as Mujib Borsho – the birth centenary of the father of the nation of Bangladesh – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman popularly known as Bangabandhu. In his remarks during the commencement of Mujib Borsho on March 17, PM Modi had said that Bangabandhu was “one of the greatest personalities of the last century” and that “his entire life is an inspiration for all”.

Both Prime Ministers had jointly inaugurated a commemorative stamp on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. A total of 500,000 stamps, 30750 First Day Covers and 25610 brochures on Bangabandhu have been issued by the Department of Posts, sources said.

Both prime ministers jointly inaugurated a Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition to celebrate the life and legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Sources said this exhibition will get displayed in New Delhi. Subsequently, it would be displayed in different locations in Bangladesh, the United Nations and would finally culminate at Kolkata in early 2022.

The sources said the exhibition is curated with 21 walls of information including the introduction wall highlighting the theme of the exhibition, a meeting wall, based on the day the two leaders met in August 1947 and Ba-Bangamata wall celebrating the two women who stood by their men. There are over 100 points of digital engagement such as a holographic time machine that layers historical photos with a timeline to provide a unique interface to the users to reference the time and lives of these leaders.

The Jallianwala Bagh and Genocide tunnel portray the pain, suffering, and the agony endured by the people during these violent events. Bangladesh’s struggle for independence led to more than three million deaths and over 200,000 rapes.

There are other notable features such as a 360-degree view of some of the historic locations and a robotic signature of Bangabandhu and Mahatma Gandhi.