Holiday has completed 42 years of its journey with challenges of journalism to establish the freedom of press, free exchange of views, human rights and rights to literacy. During the late 60s and early 70s Holiday was the only Weekly English publication to uphold the spirit of liberty and project the voice of the people against any discrimination to the rule of law and common conventions of our culture and heritage.
Holiday, even today, appears to be the only English-language weekly which can raise voices, bold and brave, for the greater interest of the nation focusing on policy issues for free and fair multiparty politics and economical progress protecting the interest of the poor, deprived and distressed. In the areas of business and finance, art and culture, environment and advocacy, comments and analysis, the approach of Holiday is uncommon and unparalleled. Holiday contains news and views of prudent and farsighted personalities with forecast and predictions proved worthy in practice and reality in the long run.
Many columns of the founding editor Enayetullah Khan were of high thoughts and visions, even quoted by many in times of crisis and conflict, containing politics or economics or relating to our cultural values and wisdom.
In precise, Holiday in its march towards good governance, transparency, empowerment of women, citizen's rights and access to information, poverty eradication and overall emancipation of the people from the bondage of ignorance has made commendable contributions for the last 42 years.
Holiday recorded the development of freedom movement and our struggle to overcome calamities, natural or man-made and offered wise solution without any fear or favour to any party or person.
These are the values of Holiday for which it survived for last 42 years in the media world of Bangladesh.
Holiday is now stepping into 43 years of its publication. Coming days are more challenging and subscribers expect the courage and boldness of Holiday to uphold the truth as done in the past, in all spheres of national activities. Holiday readers might be interested to see more in depth analysis of political reformation, democratic and social changes that are taking place silently in the society.
The areas not highlighted or sometimes absent are games and sports, E-commerce and IT development etc. Every Friday morning must be the day of the availability of Holiday to the vendor in the market without any fail. Supplements on national or festival issues need to be remarkable drawing the attention of readers at large. Formation of Holiday readers' groups might help to popularise the Holiday provided campaign is made more widespread.
Holiday holds the records of the war of liberation and events of happenings after liberation and analysis thereof. We hope it will continue to focus its visions neutrally and freely as in the past, for the years to come. We shall be happy to see Holiday observing Golden Jubilee in colourful manner.
Good luck to Holiday.
The author is former adviser to the caretaker government and
ex-secretary to the government
