Preparation for Mongol Shobha Jatra in full swing

Md Moniruzzaman  :
The preparation for Mongol Shobha Jatra, one of the major attractions of Pahela Baishakh celebration, is gathering stream in the Dhaka University.
The Mongol Shobha Jatra, a procession brought out by students and the Fine Arts Faculty of DU, has become an integral part of Pahela Baishakh, the biggest celebration in secular Bangla culture.
This year’s ‘Mongol Shobha Jatra’ will bring out from Fine Arts Faculty premises of the university and it will end at the starting place after marching Shahbagh Chatter.
This year, in addition to replicas of king and queen puppets, birds, tiger, fish, ox, elephant, life-size replicas of dolls, duck, nilgai and others that highlight the traditional folklores of Bengal, the rally would also feature some motifs of resistance.
The nilgai portrait have been added at the precession for first time to create people’s sympathy towards wild animals, Shemul Cumvoker, a organizing committee member of 24th batch said.
The DU Fine Arts Faculty is taking preparation to welcome Bangla New Year 1430. The 24th batch students of the faculty are leading the enormous task to make the event a vast success.
When the correspondent visited the faculty, he saw that the students and teachers are now very busy making the kit of Mangal Shobhaajatra with colorful masks, painting canvases and shoras.
Chrasto Shaha, a student of 24th batch of the Faculty, was building king and queen puppets with some fellow students. He said, “Those puppets keep at the first row of the Mangal precession traditionally. We are also creating other many puppets to buy and get money as fund of this procession.”
The DU administration already announced the roadmap and formed three committees to observe the Pahela Baisakh and to bring out the Mangal Shovajatra peacefully. According to the roadmap, the festivity must be concluded within 5 pm and public entrance would be restricted on the campus area after that.
Vehicles without DU authorized stickers will not be allowed on campus after 7 pm on April 13 and motorcycles will be prohibited totally. Residents on the campus area can use the road to Nilkhet and Palashi intersection for their transportation using their own vehicles.
“Festive masks and bags cannot be carried on campus. However, masks made by the Faculty of Fine Arts can be carried,” they announced.
On the day of Pahela Baishakh, movement of the procession-goers and others via the gate of Suhrawardy Udyan behind the Raju Sculpture will be restricted. The others gate of Suhrawardy Udyan remain open to entrance and exit.
Moreover, the committee requested to the police to install CCTV cameras and archways on the campus to ensure security during the festivities. Besides, mobile public toilets will be set up in the area adjacent to Haji Muhammad Muhsin Hall, the area adjacent to TSC, the area around Doyel Chattar and Curzon Hall.