BSS :
Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bengali New Year 1431, was celebrated on Sunday across the country upholding the rich cultural values and rituals of the Bangalees.
It is one of the most colourful festivals through which the Bangalees bid farewell to the old year and welcome the New Year.
Likewise the previous years, the celebration of the first day of the Bangla calendar began at the traditional venue Ramna Batamul in the capital at the dawn with the musical soiree of Chhayanaut, a leading cultural organisation of the country.
Around 170 artistes including 80 singers participated in the event.
Eighteen singers performed solo songs as total 30 performances were in the event.
Later, traditional “Mangal Shobhajatra” (procession) under the arrangement of the Fine Arts Faculty of Dhaka University was brought out in the morning.
With the slogan “Amra To Timirbinashi”, the Fine Arts Faculty celebrated Pahela Baishakh this year with a vow to removing darkness from society.
The colorful Mangal Shobhajatra was brought out from the Fine Arts Faculty premises around 9:15am with the participation of massive number of people wearing colorful dresses.
DU Vice-Chancellor Professor ASM Maksud Kamal inaugurated the procession while Social Welfare Minister Dr Dipu Moni, Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam, Prime Minister’s Education and Cultural Affairs Adviser Dr. Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Habibur Rahman, DU Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration) Professor Dr Muhammad Samad, DU teachers, students, cultural personalities and a cross section of people joined it.
Large colourful masks, replicas of birds, various animal-shaped carnival floats, traditional dolls and other motifs of Bangladeshi culture that highlight the traditional folklore of Bangladesh were displayed in the procession.
Beginning from Fine Arts Faculty premises, the procession went around Shahbagh intersection, Dhaka Club premises and Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) intersection and ended at the Fine Arts Faculty premises around 9:45 am.
Since the morning, people started gathering on the Dhaka University campus to join the procession.