Last Monday, September 4th, Blue Mountain Park in Vancouver, British Columbia province came alive with the presence of Bangladeshi-Canadian engineers. Labor Day was a public holiday. The festival is organized by Bangladeshi Engineers and Computer Science Professionals Association (BECBC) of British Columbia during this long three-day holiday including Saturday and Sunday. It will be winter in Canada now. The day brought warmth to all with the presence of family and friends at this festival on the eve of winter. Miss Bonita Zarillo, a local Canadian Member of Parliament, was present at the event. Also the Minister of Canada, Mr. Terry Beach sent a message of greetings for the festival from his office.
The program was inaugurated by Nazmul Hasan, the current president of BECBC with his brief message and Shamsul Haque (Vice-Chair, Operations) conducted the program as moderator. Acknowledging the immense contribution of Bangladeshi-born engineers in Canada, Member of Parliament Bonita Jarillo said in an instant message, “The government is able to legislate, but unable to build strong communities.” He lauded it for building a strong community of Bangladeshi engineers in Canada. Present president of BECBC Nazmul Hasan handed over the gift of gratitude to Member of Parliament Bonita Zarillo. After that, Member of Parliament Bonita Jarillo handed over the commemorative t-shirts bearing the names of the former presidents of the institution. The program was carefully planned and executed by the present Executive Committee members Shamsul Haque (Vice-Chair, Operations), Md Kamruzzaman (Vice-Chair, Finance), Md Salamah Mehrier (Associate Vice-Chair, Finance), Sheikh Sumit Noor (Vice-Chair). Chair, Public Relations), Md Nazmul Hasan Tapu (Vice-Chair, University Relations) and Tarana Ahmed (Vice-Chair, Cultural Affairs). Also present among other senior members were Mizan Majumdar, Nurul Islam, Saifuzzaman Mithu, Dr. Iqbal Bhuiyan, Mujibur Rahman and many others. Moments of the event were captured on camera by media partners – Scholarship School BD and Mithun-Shimul’s Story. During the chat, the former president Engineer Mizan Majumder talked about the previous history and activities of the institution. In addition, former secretary Saifuzzaman Mithu and dr. Iqbal Bhuiyan offers valuable advice for new engineers coming to Canada from Bangladesh.
No festival is complete without delicious food. This was no exception. Attendees enjoy a variety of local delicacies. Ice cream and tea are served after the meal. After lunch there was no shortage of recreational activities to participate in. There was a marble run for the kids. There was a pillow for women who participated in the game. The men split into two teams and started a tug-of-war competition. Throwing competitive comments from one team to another during the game makes the moment more enjoyable. Prizes are distributed among the winners at the end of the game. Also at the end of the prize distribution local student band – Muses, performed for the audience.
BECBC President Nazmul Hasan in his farewell message expressed his gratitude to the attendees and said, “This kind of festival strengthens the relationship of Bangladeshi-Canadian engineers.” He also urged Bangladeshi engineers to contribute in their respective fields in Canada and move forward. At the end of the event, Shamsul Haque (Vice-Chair, Operations) mentioned, “Despite professional and family hurdles, we tried our best to bring everyone together and everyone participated in this festival with enthusiasm. Meeting each other at such events is a great way to increase camaraderie among Bangladeshi engineers living in Vancouver.” Helpful.” He also thanked the committee members for successfully completing the event. It is noted that BECBC is a non-profit organization registered in the province of British Columbia, which has been working for more than a century to achieve technical excellence with skill development workshops for Bangladeshi engineers working in this province.
