Second harmony festival concludes in Srimangal

The second edition of the Harmony Festival in Srimangal concluded on Sunday. The festival was opened on Friday bringing together the culture, cuisine, and handicrafts of 27 small ethnic communities of the Sylhet division under one roof amid the lush surroundings of the tea gardens.

The three-day festival was inaugurated at the Phulchhara Ground by Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam. The ceremony was chaired by Fahmida Akhter, Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism.

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M. Rashiduzzaman Millat and lawmakers M. Naser Rahman (Moulvibazar-3) and Md. Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury (Moulvibazar-4) attended as guests of honour.

From the Khasi preparation of traditional paan to the intricate weaving of the Manipuri community, the waist looms of the Tripura people, and the dances of the Shabar and Munda communities, the festival offered a vivid panorama of the region’s indigenous heritage.

Participants arrived in traditional attire and performed cultural dances throughout the inaugural programme. Following the ceremony, dignitaries visited stalls displaying the unique customs and crafts of each ethnic group.

Minister Afroza Khanam said the festival had given her a fresh perspective on the country’s cultural wealth.

“You are the soul of our national culture,” she told representatives of the ethnic communities, adding that their contributions to the Language Movement of 1952 and the Liberation War of 1971 deserved recognition.

She described the festival as more than a cultural event, saying it would boost the local economy through handicrafts and tourism. She also expressed confidence that the Harmony Festival would one day attract international visitors, noting that Sylhet has been included in the Tourism Board’s master plan to develop the division into an internationally competitive destination.

The minister also pledged to raise the ethnic communities’ demand for an academic building with the Prime Minister.

Partho Hajong, an indigenous resident of Harinchhara Tea Garden, said, “This festival gives us a voice that history often silenced. When I sit at my waist loom here at Finlay Tea Garden and people stop to watch and ask questions, that is not just tourism; it is recognition.

We have kept these crafts alive through generations. I hope this platform helps our children feel proud of who they are, not ashamed. The minister’s promise to take our demand for an academic building to the Prime Minister also gives us real hope.”

Rafi Ahmed, a visitor from Dhaka, said, “I came to Srimangal for the tea gardens and left having discovered an entirely different Bangladesh. Watching the Shabar and Munda dances, tasting foods I had never heard of, and seeing the Khasi paan preparation up close it was like 27 worlds opening at once.

This is exactly the kind of experience that should be on every travel list. I genuinely hope the Tourism Board follows through on its international promotion plan because this festival deserves a global audience.”

Kamal Hossain, a resident of Srimangal, said, “We have lived side by side with these communities for decades, but even I did not fully appreciate the richness of their traditions until I walked through this festival.

The whole of Srimangal feels alive this weekend more visitors, more business, and more pride. The minister was right that this will boost our local economy. I am already thinking about the handicrafts I saw at the stalls. I want to buy some for my home and support these artisans directly.”