Carrying Bangabandhu's legacy

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's grandson and trustee of Center for Research and Information (CRI) Radwan Mujib Siddiq, who is credited with connecting young changemakers through the Young Bangla platform, turned 43 on Sunday (21 May).

The son of Bangabandhu's younger daughter Sheikh Rehana received an overwhelming volume of wishes from all quarters, especially youths who were recognised, groomed, and networked through his initiatives.

Born on 21 May 1980, Radwan is the eldest among three siblings. His father Shafique Ahmed teaches at globally renowned universities.

Radwan Mujib is known for spearheading a series of initiatives to connect young trailblazers under the 'Young Bangla' platform.

Themed on "Connecting the Dots", Young Bangla, the country's largest youth network that operates under CRI, has groomed and recognized 153 champions of change so far, while contributions to society by a number of achievers have bestowed them with top-notch international accolades.

Sadat Rahman, who received the International Children's Peace Prize for his anti-cyberbullying initiatives, attributes his international acclamation to the grooming and networking offered by the Joy Bangla Youth Award, a vision brought forth and carried forward by Radwan. Sadat was handed the peace prize by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai.

Sadat holds Radwan in high regard as his mentor, stating that the youth award has motivated him to pursue his ambitions.

Mohammad Mohasin, a renowned cricketer who won trophies overseas despite his disability and reliance on a wheelchair, posted "happy birthday Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby bhai" on his Facebook page.

Dr Manoshi Saha, one of the founders of Travelettes of Bangladesh, a Facebook-based group of female travelers, explained how the award bolstered their efforts to travel the entire country, a project they call "Bangladesh through the eyes of women."

Calling Radwan's thought behind the award an "inspiration", Manoshi said, "Soon after we received the award, we found our works started resonating well. Initially, we were just a handful of four travelers, but now we have expanded to bigger scales... Like ours, I believe many such youth-led organisations found the award a big push for their work."

Radwan undertook a number of projects adding flesh and blood to history to connect with youths.

His brainchildren include Joy Bangla Concert (a concert themed on the Liberation War-time slogan 'Joy Bangla'), Joy Bangla Youth Award (a countrywide initiative to award young changemakers), Mujib Graphic Novel (a first ever comic-style sketch of young Mujib who would go on to become the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu).

His idea of presenting history creatively through anecdotes and vignettes instead of mere dates and names can be traced back to his traumatic experience during his school life when military rulers made his grandfather Bangabandhu a forbidden name.

Radwan, co-produced 'Hasina: A Daughter's Tale', a docufiction poignantly narrating the real-life struggles of Sheikh Hasina after the murder of her father in a coup on 15 August 1975.

As the editor-in-chief of WhiteBoard, the country's first policy-based magazine, Radwan regularly interacted with youths through the projects he had set in motion.

His sister Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, reputed for her fiery speech and biting wit, is a member of parliament in the UK.

The long-haired, casually dressed, and exposure-averse Radwan advanced a gamut of storytelling ventures that youths dived deep into, according to social media posts.