A chair honoring Bangladesh’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, also called Bangabandhu in Bangladesh, will be set up at the University of Delhi on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the country's Liberation War and Indo-Bangla diplomatic relations.

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), an autonomous government organization involved in India's external cultural relations, will establish the Bangabandhu Chair.

ICCR Director General Dinesh K Patnaik and University of Delhi's Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof PC Joshi will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU), effective for five academic years on July 12 in this regard.

The initiative is the outcome of an understanding reached during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh in March, according to an ICCR statement.

"Bangabandhu Chair" will focus on a better understanding of developments in Bangladesh, which is considered one of India's most important neighbors positioned at the strategic intersection of its 'Neighborhood First' and 'Act East' policies.

The step will reinforce exchanges in the field of academics, art and culture between the two countries that share a historical and cultural bond.

A foreign visiting professor or subject expert on Bangladesh, preferably of Bangladesh origin, will occupy the Bangabandhu Chair that will focus on Indo-Bangladesh common cultural heritage and subjects like anthropology, Buddhist studies, geography, history, modern Indian languages, music and fine arts, political science, international relations and sociology.

It will teach as per academic requirements of the university and help in guiding and mentoring research students and take part in activities of other universities, reported The Daily Star.

(SAM)