It was revisiting those memory lanes for Bangladesh President when he and his family visited various places in Meghalaya on Friday.
President Abdul Hamid reminisced with the media persons that it was 47 years ago when he had visited the state of Meghalaya to take part in the Liberation War.
Hamid undertook a nostalgic visit to Balat where he had organized volunteers to fight during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.
Notably, Hamid was the sub-sector commander of the Mukti Bahini (the Bangladesh Liberation Army) during the war.
However, the visiting Bangladeshi President could not visit the burial ground for Mukti Bahinis in Balat due to paucity of time.
Hamid also visited the Bidhan House in Laban area where the second Chief Minister of West Bengal Bidhan Chandra Roy had stayed between 1948 and 1962. The building is currently used as a state guest house.
Later he along with his family visited the Brookside Bungalow, where Rabindranath Tagore had stayed in 1919, in Rilbong of Shillong on Friday.
Staring at the bunglow, Hamid commented: ‘The house is the same and there are not many changes’.
The Assam-type bunglow is maintained by the Meghalaya Arts and Culture Department and is called the Rabindranath Tagore Art Gallery.
He also interacted with a select group of Bangladeshi students studying in various colleges of Shillong.
Commenting of the relation between India and Bangladesh, Hamid said, “India-Bangladesh relations were deep-rooted and India had always helped Bangladesh in difficult times.”
Hamid also said Shillong is very close his heart as he had stayed in Bidhan House and that he had also hired a house in Laban once when his family members had come for treatment in India.
As many as 12 members of the family, including the President, his wife, Rashida Khanam, their three sons, daughter and grandchildren visited the historical sites of Shillong on Friday.
The President also paid floral tributes at the statue of Tagore outside the bungalow before leaving for Raj Bhawan.