Photo: BSS

By Md Rahim Uddin

DHAKA, Dec 31, 2025 (BSS) - As the sun sinks into a red glow on the western horizon on the final day of 2025, a year that witnessed many upheavals, the people of Bangladesh step into another year of their short span of life, yet carrying hopes for something better in the New Year.
 
The final days of 2025 felt a story imbued with resistance, heartbreak and the unyielding spirit of a nation that refused to bow to despair.

At fag end of the year, the sad demise of Begum Khaleda Zia, a symbol of the democracy and national unity, had broken the hearts of millions. Widely known as an uncompromising leader, however, she was bid farewell by the people with tears, deep respect and love. 

While the killing of the co-founder and spokesperson of Inqilab Moncho Sharif Osman Bin Hadi in broad day light had suffocated the breathe of a quieter story - one that tells the tale of a people, no longer willing to live under the shadow of unmet promises.

Yet, amidst in mourning, there was pride. The sacrifices were not in vain; for they watered the roots of a burgeoning new era. Bangladesh though battered, stood resolute, poised on the threshold of transformation, its soil enriched with the promise of renewal.

2025, for all its flaws and fractures, was not a year of submission; it was a year of awakening.

Transformation, as always, takes its price and the revolution exacted its toll. Families mourned their fallen, their absence echoing like hollow spaces in crowded homes. Dreams momentarily paused, livelihoods disrupted and scars- both visible and hidden- etched them into the fabric of the nation's soul.

The scars left by 2025 will not be erased but carried forward as badges of spirit. Every fracture in the old order is now fertile ground for something new- justice where corruption once reigned, opportunity where despair had taken root, and unity where division once festered.

The responsibility of rebuilding does not rest solely on the government. The people themselves have taken ownership of their destiny. The youth, who were the heartbeat of the uprising, have stepped forward as architects of a brighter future. 2025 closes like a chapter in an epic tale-messy, chaotic, but essential. 

As 2026's first light gently brushes the horizon, it arrives like a tender reconciliation after a long estrangement. It falls upon streets that once pulsed with the fervor of protest but now lie still, awaiting the hopeful strides of builders, dreamers, doers and architects of tomorrow.

The dawn of 2026 does not merely mark a beginning; it proclaims a rebirth. It is a solemn vow that the lessons of a turbulent year will guide those entrusted with shaping the future. No longer will this nation accept mere survival; it will strive, boldly and unapologetically, for greatness.

This new Bangladesh is not without flaws; no nation is ever perfect. But it is a Bangladesh unafraid to dream audaciously, to challenge relentlessly, and to build tirelessly. It is a land where the losses of 2025 are transformed into cornerstones of justice, equity, and prosperity.

And 2026 begins not as an answer but as a question: What will we build with this chance? The people of Bangladesh, their voices are unified and their spirits are unyielding with holding their pen now.

As the rivers flow and the winds carry whispers of hope, the people march forward, not burdened by the weight of what was lost, but uplifted by the promise of what they have gained.

2026 is not merely a new year as the country is set out to hold its 13th Jatiya Sangsad election slated for February with much enthusiasm and ever largest anticipated participatory one. It to be a new inception! Bangladesh strides into its future -- an evidence to the indomitable strength of its people and the enduring power of hope!