All set to welcome Bengali New Year 1431

People from different strata of society are set to observe Pohela Boishakh, the first day of the Bengali new year 1431, in Bangladesh and abroad with the hope of getting rid of evils and sufferings and getting a fresh start. Pohela Boishakh has been considered an integral part of the Bangalee culture for many years. Over time, the celebrations have become a national outlook due to the patronization of successive governments amid resistance by people linked to religion-based politics. The Bengali new year begins at dawn. People feel joy and exchange views and sweets with family members, relatives, neighbours, and others. It comes a day after Chaitra Sangkranti, the last day of the Bangla calendar. Ahead of the new year, people clean and decorate their households and institutions with flowers and paintings of patterns, symbols, and motifs using rice flour colours. Earlier, the Home Ministry issued a set of restrictions on the day's observance due to security concerns. On the other hand, members of the Islamist parties are also campaigning this year to prevent common Muslims from joining the celebrations. ----------------------- *Celebrations in Dhaka* ----------------------- The day’s main celebrations will begin with the Mangal Shobhajatra (a procession seeking everyone’s wellbeing) from the Fine Arts Faculty of Dhaka University at 9:15am. Every year, participants carry motifs during the procession as a symbolic protest against contemporary social and national issues. Starting in 1989, the procession in Dhaka gained momentum after Unesco declared it an intangible cultural heritage on November 30, 2016, due to its uniqueness. The other key event of the day is the cultural performances by Chhayanaut music school at Ramna Batamul in Dhaka, which have been taking place since 1967. This program did not take place in 1971 due to the Liberation War, and later during the pandemic in 2020-21. For the last few weeks, the volunteers have been working day and night inside the Fine Arts Faculty building and the premises. They have made large and small motifs of elephants and Tepa Putul (hand-pressed dolls made of clay) using bamboo, wood, and paper, paper masks of tigers and owls, and other decorative items to be carried by the participants in the parade. The walls adjoining the faculty have also been decorated with rickshaw paintings. Every district now hosts parades and cultural events to welcome the new year. In addition, folk fairs take place throughout the nation. ------------------- *Security measures* ------------------- Special security measures have been taken at important locations, including Ramna Park, Suhrawardy Udyan, Dhaka University, Hatirjheel, and Rabindra Sarobar, among other places. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Director General M Khurshid Hossain, in a briefing on Saturday, reassured the public of comprehensive security arrangements for Pohela Boishakh celebrations. To bolster security, RAB plans to deploy additional forces across various event venues nationwide. RAB is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all attendees. Anyone who encounters or suspects deceptive activities should report immediately to RAB personnel for swift action, Hossain advised. Earlier, the Home Ministry said all programs must conclude by 6pm. On March 27, officials also said they would take action against attempts to spread misinformation about the celebrations and the use of fireworks, lanterns, vuvuzelas, and drugs. Mobile courts and law enforcement units will be deployed to prevent any incidents of harassment, vandalism, pickpocketing, or other undesirable activities during the celebrations. ----------------------------------- *Campaigns against celebrations on* ----------------------------------- Leaders and supporters of Islamist parties have always campaigned against the observance, terming it anti-Islam, since the Pakistan era. At that time, the government even banned the songs of Rabindranath Tagore in erstwhile East Pakistan. This year too, people are campaigning on social media against the celebration of the day with music and the use of motifs of humans and animals during the Mangal Shobhajatra. Earlier, panic gripped the nation in 2001, when members of Pakistan-based militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJi-B) carried out a deadly grenade attack on Ramna Batamul, killing at least 10 people and injuring scores of performers and guests. But the celebrations did not stop. However, after the government incorporated secularism as a principle in the Constitution, the radical Islamists resumed their campaigns and used violence against secularists and liberals to prevent ordinary people from participating in the Pohela Boishakh celebrations and other traditional programs. ---------------------------------- *Mangal Shobhajatra: How it began* ---------------------------------- In 1989, the DU fine arts students began to arrange the procession on a large scale every year. It was officially named “Mangal Shobhajatra” in 1996. However, the beginning of Mangal Shobhajatra dates back to 1985 in Jessore, where some former students of DU fine arts, including Mahbub Jamal Shamim and Hironmoy Chandra, formed a cultural organization named Charupith. They brought out the first procession to welcome the new year in 1985. The following year, Charupith initiated a larger platform with all cultural organizations in the district and brought out the procession on the first day of Boishakh. Soon, cultural organizations in different districts started observing the day with a colourful procession. In 1994, Mangal Shobhajatra processions were taken out in Bangaon and Santiniketan in West Bengal, India.
Published on: 2024-04-14 04:47:37.645118 +0200 CEST