The recording of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’s Bengali New Year speech took an unexpected turn on Sunday, according to his press secretary, Shafiqul Alam.
In a Facebook post, Alam recounted a charming and somewhat comical scene that unfolded on the grassy lawn of State Guest House Jamuna where the speech was being filmed.
As the recording commenced, a cuckoo, a bird deeply symbolic in Bengali literature for heralding spring, appeared and began to call from a tall tree overhead, wrote the press secretary.
Professor Yunus, known for his gentle demeanor, reportedly quipped with a smile, “Well, it seems we won’t need any background music!”
Shafiqul Alam noted that the cuckoo’s melodious cooing continued throughout the entire three-and-a-half-minute duration of the speech, creating an atmosphere that felt like a natural and auspicious welcome to the new Bengali year, filled with hopes for prosperity.
Following the completion of the speech, some of them requested selfies and photographs with the Chief Adviser, which he readily agreed to.
However, as the press team gathered with Professor Yunus for these memorable images, the ambiance shifted dramatically.
According to Shafiqul Alam’s post, several crows suddenly appeared and perched on a branch directly above them. Their subsequent loud and hoarse crowing contrasted sharply with the earlier sweet serenade of the cuckoo.
“Cuckoos were gone. And we knew for sure who the villains were in this setting!!!” he wrote in his FB #DhakaDiary for which he had been famous for a long time.
Professor Yunus’s Bengali New Year speech is scheduled to be broadcast Monday (Pahela Baishakh) morning.
This anecdote shared by his press secretary offers a lighthearted glimpse into the moments surrounding the recording, blending the beauty of nature with a touch of unexpected humor, many social media users commented.