Parmeshwar Devkota

There are various ideas and ways the countries employ to boost their ties with their neighbours and friendly states. One such way is sending gifts and souvenirs to the neighbours to have sound ties. In the past, the victorious states and empires used to force the defeated ones to present gifts and valuable items to the former. However, in the modern time, such a mandatory practice of sending gift from the tributary states no longer exists.
Nonetheless, the countries dispatch gifts voluntarily to their neighbours as mark of friendship. Such gifts are not necessarily expensive but carry symbolic meaning. Recently, Bangladesh's Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina sent 2600 kg of mangoes to the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Similarly, she sent mangoes to chief ministers of different states of India.
According to media reports, Bangladesh is sending mangoes to her South Asian neighbours such as Nepal and Sri Lanka. She has also sent mangoes to this daily as a gift.
Bangladesh is a sovereign nation next to our immediate neighbours-- China and India. Bangladesh spreads from hills and mountains to the dales of Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean. With fertile and low-lying alluvial land, the country is doing well in agriculture. Being a major economic activity, agriculture employs about 50 per cent of the country's labour force and contributes around 20 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The country is also known for her natural network of perennial sacred rivers like the Ganges, Jamuna and Meghana. Because of these rivers, the country has better irrigation facilities as compared to other neigbouring nations. The long sea beaches and the Sundarbans are a major tourist draw in Bangladesh. The rich Bengali culture and food are equally important from touristic point of view.
If we look back to the country’s political history, it was brave. The visionary leaders and bold people of Bangladesh had worked vehemently to remain independent and made adequate sacrifices in the past. They had struggled long to get the present-day social and political stability. Though the majority of people in Bangladesh follow Sunni Islam, the country is secular. It shows that Bangladeshis hold religious tolerance. The country treats even the ethnic and religious minorities equally.
When any state accepts and promotes a certain religion showing definite causes, the minority communities may feel humiliated and lose confidence. Therefore, there is basic difference of livelihood between a secular and constricted or sacred society. Being a secular state is a sweat part of Bangladesh.
Another positive aspect of Bangladesh is its rich Bangla language, which is the main language of this country. Though I cannot speak Bangla, I think I can certainly understand it. I used to listen to news in Bangla on BBC Radio. I guess is that the Bangla language has more Sanskrit base. So, it is more sweat and melodious. As the Bangla language is sweet, so is the Haribhanga variety of mango.