At 2:45pm on the first day of this year's Dhaka Lit Fest, a panel discussion took place between Rehman Sobhan and Syed Akhter Mahmood, on the former's book From Dawn to Darkness.
Professor Rehman Sobhan, the book's author, discusses the early difficulties he encountered in the book From Dawn to Darkness, which depicts the difficulties of the political and economic environment immediately following Bangladesh's bloodbath.
He chronicles his personal perspective on his time as one of the founding members of Bangladesh's Planning Commission while navigating through the treacherous bureaucracy in his writings.
Syed Akhter Mahmood, who is a renowned economist and previously worked for an international development organization, moderated the program and asked insightful questions about the many discoveries stated in the book during an engaging session.
The significant economic change into a nationalist form, which at first was more of a leftist ideology, was discussed by Professor Sobhan in his book.
He spoke to the audience about the outcomes of individuals in positions of power, particularly cabinet members who are frequently businesspeople who prioritize their own businesses over the interests of the nation.
An invitation to read the book that delves into the specifics of the episodes that occurred inside the government from 1972 to 1975 was made as the session came to a close.