BANGLADESH

Bangladeshis are celebrating the Bengali New Year 1419 amid festivity, gaiety and fanfare on Saturday, the first day of Baishakh.

After Chhayanat's programme at Ramna Batamul at dawn and Fine Arts Institute's Mongol Shobha Jatra, the central attractions of the celebration, people spread to Shahbagh, Ramna and Dhaka University.

Those who failed to attend the programmes in the morning were seen thronging Shahbagh, the centre of celebrations, wearing colourful dresses. Most of the women seen on the city streets wore white sarees with red borders while men wore red and white fatua or panjabee.

Vendors were selling traditional food items, masks and toys. People were seen buying something or the other at the fair.

Dhaka University's Bengali Department organised a programme in front of the Arts Building, Music Department and Kendrio Khelaghar Asor at Bot-Tola and Philosophy Department at Amtola.

A concert started on Mall Square of DU around 12:30pm.

Two other concerts were held at Muhsin Hall ground and Kendrio Khelaghar ground in the afternoon.

Wrishij, a cultural group, held a musical programme in front of the Shishupark in the morning.

Programmes are also being held at Rabindra Sarobor in Dhanmondi.

People from a broad spectrum of society started to assemble at Ramna Park, the prime venue of the festival, since early in the morning.

Celebrations began with Pahela Baishakh's central attraction, Chhayanat's cultural programme, at 6:15am at Ramna Batamul in the capital, which is not only the heart of the celebration but also a symbol of protest against oppression.

The artists sang Raga Bhairab at the beginning and then Rabindra Sangeet – Purbo Gogon Bhage.

They presented other songs of Rabindranath Tagore, national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, Atul Prasad Sen, Rajanikanta Sen, Shah Abdul Karim, Lalon Shah, Torab Ali Shah, Gyan Prokash Ghosh and others.

bdnews24.com broadcast live Chhayanat's programme from Ramna Batamul.

After the programme that ended at 9:15am with the national anthem Amar Sonar Bangla, another unique attraction of the celebration known as 'Mongol Shobha Jatra' started from in front of the Fine Arts Institute of Dhaka University.

In keeping with the past, the institute once again organised a procession on this year's theme – the maritime boundary dispute victory and demand to speed up the trials of the war criminals.

The rally commenced from the Fine Arts Institute's 'Bokultala' premises with masks and papier-mâché. It ended at the same place after parading through streets of Ruposhi Bangla Hotel, Shahbagh intersection, TSC and the university campus.

A 40-feet boat with a peacock figurehead from the fairytale symbolised the 'victory of sea' in the rally.

Two monster-like structures symbolising the war criminals of the Liberation War of 1971 were carried seeking pace in the ongoing trial for war crimes.

Apart from these, artefacts like elephants, horses, tigers and a bird with the appearance of a leaf were also part of the rally.

The Shobha Jatra offered everything — fun, entertainment, beauty, grandeur, eye-soothing images and thought-provoking messages.

The origin of Pahela Baishakh can be traced back to the Mughal period when Emperor Akbar introduced the Bangla calendar to streamline tax collection. In the course of time, it became a part of Bengali culture and tradition.

The name 'Baishakh' is derived from the name of a star 'Bishakha'. On that day Akbar used to go to his subjects and distribute sweets among them.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have installed 40 close-circuit TV cameras and police 76 more to keep an eye on the trouble-makers. Police have also set up road blockades and check-posts at 20 points across the capital.

A statement from the RAB headquarters said on Friday some 4,500 members of the elite force would be deployed across the country, including 2,000 personnel at different points in and around the city to ensure security.