It was a visit to remember. A visit that re-kindled the hopes for more friendly neighbourhood living. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed visited Bengal last week. She inaugurated the famed Calcutta Book fair, received Deshikottama at Santiniketan and visited Najrul's birthplace at Churulia in her short span of her stay here. Her visit was an occasion again for the rise of Indo-Bangladesh issues. She herself issued a call for making the South Asian countries free from hunger, illiteracy and ensuring social security and health for all. A joint effort would have to be made for it, she said after being conferred the Deshikottama degree by the Visva Bharati University at a special convocation here. Sheikh Hasina was awarded the highest degree of the University for upholding the democratic principles in her own country and for tirelessly campaigning for peace and friendship among the South Asian countries.

She said that only social security could remove the scourge of poverty for majority of the people in a country. While on the one hand national unity is to be maintains, on the other cooperation among the nations be developed. The present day economic order being very difficult, no individual country can attain the desired goal of social security for all of its citizens by its unilateral effort.

She was equally emphatic about developing good neighborly relations between two countries. The fight against illiteracy, healthlessness would have to be joint effort. To the Bangladesh Prime Minister, family welfare is another area, which is to be given equal importance. Economic progress cannot be made without women being given education, economic freedom and democratic rights issue women's education and their economic freedom would have to be given priority too. This effort would have to be continued in the region with SAARC participating in it. Bangladesh, she said, was moving in that direction.

A large portion of her speech contained reference to Bangladesh's friendly relation with India. These relations were both cultural and political. She said the people of Bangladesh were deeply moved about the role people of India had played in the pre-liberation days. In fact, the people of India provided the intellectual impetus in the pre-liberation days. She also referred to 'Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibar Rahaman who had a deep love for the people of India. Mujib was all praise for the people of India helping in the renaissance of Bangladesh.

Sheikh Hasina expressed deep gratitude for the successful conclusion of the Ganga water sharing treaty with India. She paid rich tributes to the West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu for playing a major role in signing of the treaty. She also complimented the then Prime Minister of the United Front, Mr. D.D. Devegowda for playing an active role in concluding the treaty. She felt that the conclusion of the treaty resolved a long pending issue.

Hasian said that the treaty on Ganga water sharing between the two countries being long overdue was festering the relations between the two countries. She also emphasized the need for continued cultural contact between Bangladesh and West Bengal. Literature and aesthetics know no barriers. And for this Tagore, Nazrul and Jibananda Das came up again and again in her speech. She even recited a few lines of a Tagore poem. She dedicated the highest award 'Dehikottama' she received today to the people of Bangladesh, and the countless soldiers who had fought and died for liberation of Bangladesh.

She was equally concerned about maintaining peace in South Asia. She felt an atmosphere of war frenzy was created following explosions of nuclear weapons by both India and Pakistan in last May. She had personally rushed to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee. She had also discussed the issue with the Pakistan Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Shariff. She was however, happy that the wisdom and skill of the two neighboring countries and their leaders prevailed preventing a major catastrophe. An atmosphere of peace among the countries in the region was all the more necessary, Sheikh Hasina added.

Later at night Sheikh was closeted with Jyoti Basu for a 45-minute discussion on bilateral issue at Taj Bengal hotel in Calcutta. She also joined a dinner hosted by Basu. Replying to reporters' question Sheikh Hasina said fruitful discussions were held with Basu on several issues on the question of introducing a bus service between Dhaka and Calcutta, the Bangladesh Prime Minister said the bus service would certainly be introduced. The discussions on the subject between the transport ministries of the two countries were being continued, she said. On the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh, she said there had been no infiltration into India from Bangladesh. She however agreed that the issue had come up during discussion with Basu. The West Bengal Home (Police) Minister, Buddhadev Bhattacharya and the Finance Minister, Ashim Dasgupta were present during the discussion.