Bangladesh’s founding was a symphony of secular democracy and hard-won self-determination, born from the blood of the 1971 Liberation war. A festival for the beloved mystic bard Lalon met the same fate in November, declared “against Islam”. This pragmatic outreach occurs as the US and China trade diplomatic barbs over influence in Dhaka, with a US ambassador warning of Chinese influence and Beijing firing back. When the new US ambassador voiced concerns about “broader Chinese influence”, the Chinese Embassy fired back with remarkable bluntness, stating cooperation “brooks no interference” from Washington. In a world of cynical power plays, the living memory of 1971 and the defiant humanism of poets like Tagore and Lalon form an internal fortress.