Photo: Collected
People across the country are celebrating the first day of Bengali New Year, Pahela Baishakh, upholding the rich cultural heritage of the Bengalees on Friday (14 April).
The country’s esteemed cultural institution, Chhayanaut, with its traditional flagship event on the morning of April 14, kicked off the festivity at 6:15 am under the Banyan tree at Ramna (Ramna Batamul).
The Dhaka University’s Fine Arts faculty brought out their Mangal Shobhajatra to celebrate the Bengali New Year 1430 this morning. Even the Jagannath University celebrated the Bengali New Year, 1430, grandly by doing Mongol Shobhajatra and cultural events.
Outside the capital, the Bengali New Year is being celebrated across the country with a multitude of arrangements including Shobhajatra and other cultural festivities.
Cumilla Victoria College brought out a colourful possession, led by AKM Bahauddin Bahar, lawmaker of Cumilla-6 constituency, to celebrate the Pahela Baishakh. Leaders and students of different social, cultural and educational institutions participated in the procession. The procession began at the college premises and ended at Cumilla Shilpakala Academy, where a cultural programme was organised.
People in Khulna celebrated Pohela Boishakh with great enthusiasm and in a universal festive mood on Friday. While inaugurating the ‘Mangal Shobhajatra’ Khulna City Corporation (KCC) Mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque said, "Pohela Boishakh is a Bengali tradition, a day of harmony and a universal festival. Bengali New Year is inextricably linked with Bengali folk culture. “Forgetting all the sorrows and differences of the past, the Bengali New Year will strengthen our unity in all aspects as well as unite us to work for the welfare of the country,” he said.
In Barishal, people are celebrating the first day of the Bengali New Year with various arrangements including a folk culture exhibition, and a three-day fair. The festival started at 6:30 am on Friday with a morning programme organised by Udichi Shilpi Gosthi Barisal at Brajmohan (BM) School. A ‘shobhajatra’ was organised by Charukala, Barishal from BM College which ended in front of the Ashwini Kumar Hal of the college after going around the city.
Besides, the Barisal district administration organised a procession from the circuit house at 9 am, and folk music and painting competitions were held at Shishu Academy at 10 am. A cultural programme and prize distribution were held at Shilpakala Academy at 9:30 am.
Meanwhile, the people of Narail celebrated the beginning of the Bengali New Year 1430 with a variety of cultural events. The district administration and Sammilita Sangskritik Jote organised multiple events throughout the day at Sultan Mancha Square of Narail Government Victoria College and district Shilpakala Academy to welcome the New Year and bid farewell to the old one.
People from all walks of life attended in a joyous and colourful procession which started from the Narail Govt. Victoria College ended in the district's Shilapakala Academy.
Similar possessions were also organised in other parts of the country including Chattogram, Dinajpur, Sherpur, Brahmanbaria and Khagrachhari, including a wide range of cultural events.
TDM/FMT
