Joliot-Curie Sheikh Mujib (Ambassador of Peace Sheikh Mujib)
That was the first-ever international award for Bangladesh. The Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was awarded the medal on May 23, 1973. After only 1 year, 4 months and 12 days of running the state, was probably his successful foreign policy and a strong role in world peace.
It was an international recognition to Bangabandhu for his outstanding contribution to establishing world peace. After a 23 years of struggle for peace in 1971 it became the independence for Bengali nation under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib. The great leader Bangabandhu spent his whole life to ensure people’s economic emancipation and build a “Sonar Bangla” free from all sorts of hunger, poverty, illiteracy and exploitation.
This award was very significant for Bangladesh at that time after the independence of Bangladesh. And by awarding this prize, the world recognized Bangabandhu for his lifelong struggle, and was also the first step in building the foundation for Bangladesh.
We used to hear this slogan almost when we were in school
“Joliot-Curie Sheikh Mujib, Lou, Lou, Lou Salam” (Take, take, take Salam.)
“Jatir Pita (father of the nation) Sheikh Mujib, -Lou, Lou, Lou Salam” (Take, take, take Salam.)
“Shantir Dut (Ambassador of Peace) Sheikh Mujib -Lou, Lou, Lou Salam” (Salam is a greeting in Arabic that means “peace be upon you”.)
The award is usually given for contributions to world peace. Apart from Bangabandhu, others who have received this award are: Pablo Picasso -Spain, Pablo Neruda – Chile, Nâzım Hikmet – Turkey, Charlie Chaplin – United Kingdom, Bertrand Russell – United Kingdom, Nelson Mandela – South Africa, Jawaharlal Nehru -India, Martin Luther King Jr. – United States, Fidel Castro -Cuba, Gamal Abdel Nasser – Egypt, Salvador Allende – Chile, Yasser Arafat – Palestine, Leonid Brezhnev – Soviet etc.
World Peace Council prizes. This is how the award was named.
Jean Frédéric Joliot-Curie (French: [fʁedeʁik ʒɔljo kyʁi]; nè Joliot; 19 March 1900 – 14 August 1958) was a French physicist and husband of Irène Joliot-Curie, with whom he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935 for their discovery of Induced radioactivity.
They were the second ever married couple, after his wife’s parents, to win the Nobel Prize, adding to the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. Joliot-Curie and his wife also founded the Orsay Faculty of Sciences, part of the Paris-Saclay University.
In 1973 the then Secretary General of the World Peace Council, Ramesh Chandra, placed the Julio-Curie Peace Medal around Bangabandhu’s neck and said, “Sheikh Mujib is not only Bangabandhu, but from today he is also a world friend.”
After receiving this honor, Bangabandhu himself said, ‘This honour is not for any particular person. This is the honor of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the freedom struggle of Bangladesh, the heroes of the freedom struggle. “The Julio Curie Peace Medal” belongs to the entire Bengali nation. ‘Receiving the Peace Medal of the World Peace Council was an international recognition of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu’s contribution to the establishment of world peace and successful foreign policy.
During the rule of Bangabandhu, independent Bangladesh gained recognition from 116 countries of the world. Bangabandhu ascended the seat of honor in the World Assembly.
Among the international organizations that Bangladesh became a member of at that time were the Commonwealth of Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the United Nations. Bangabandhu was the center of attraction in every conference and session of these four international organizations.
In the same way, he also decided the foreign policy of Bangladesh to cooperate with each other in harmony with everyone. That means ‘Friendship to all, malice to none,’
Joliot-Curie Medal of Peace for Bangabandhu: 50th anniversary.
Edited – press/
Abdullah Al Hadi, Poet and Literateur, President of the 31st BCS Cadre Association.
https://31stbcs.org
https://31stbcs.org/bangabandhu-himself-is-soul-universal-and-immortal-kailash-satyarthi/