Esho Hey Baishakh, esho esho… People of all ages are ready to celebrate ‘Pahela Baishakh’, the first day of the Bengali New Year 1424, today (Friday) with huge enthusiasm, fanfare and traditional festivities amid tight security in Dhaka city as elsewhere across the country.
This year’s celebration will be held on a large-scale basis as well as with much traditional gaiety as the ‘Mongol Shovajatra’ earned UNESCO recognition as world heritage.
With the sunrise today, thousands of people are expected to join different programmes marking ‘Nabo Barsho’ fanfare in the capital city and other district towns and upazilas on the occasion.
Various programmes, including musical soirees, colourful marches and Baishakhi fairs, will be organised on the day, while the business community, especially in rural areas, will open their traditional ‘Halkhata’ to welcome the Bengali New year.
Authorities have made arrangements to ensure foolproof security across the country on the occasion.
Apart from villages, all metropolitan cities, including capital Dhaka, district towns and other important places have worn a festive look and law enforcement agencies taken tight security measures to ensure peaceful celebrations of the traditional ‘Pahela Baishakh’ festivities.
The government has drawn up elaborate programme while traditional Mangol Shovajarta, a procession which is brought out welcoming the advent of Bengali New year, will be staged at divisional, district and upazila levels to reach the traditional programme to grassroots as it earned the international recognition.
Different socio-cultural organizations and educational institutions, associations of professionals have also taken elaborate programmes, including cultural functions, processions and Baishakhi fairs, in the capital as elsewhere across the country.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have issued separate messages greeting the countrymen on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh.
They wished the Bangla Nababarsha-1424 will bring happiness, peace and prosperity for the country removing all darkness and sorrows.
The day is a public holiday.
Different national dailies will publish colourful supplements while Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar will air special programmes highlighting the significance of Pahela Baishakh.
The programmes of the day will begin in the city with the musical soirees of Chhayanat, a leading cultural organization of the country at Ramna Batamul at dawn. Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and private television channels will broadcast the live streaming of the programme.
Important buildings and establishments as well as city streets and islands have been illuminated with colourful lights and graffiti have been painted in the walls signifying the arts, culture and heritage of the country.
Dhaka University (DU) Fine Arts Faculty is ready to celebrate the Pahela Baishakh while the Mangol Shovajatra bearing few significant motifs those were used in the last 28 years since its inception in 1989 will be brought out from its premises at 9:00am on the campus with a call for unity and non-communalism.
DU Vice-Chancellor Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique will lead the procession.
“We have planned to bring out the procession in a large scale as the Mangol Shovajatra earned the UNESCO recognition,” Fine Arts Faculty Dean Professor Nisar Hossain told journalists.
Besides, different departments, institutes and students’ organizations and associations will also organize different programmes on the campus.
The university authorities have put restriction on wearing of masks, carrying bags on the campus while all programmes of the day on the University campus must be concluded by 5:00pm.
Sammilita Sangskritik Jote will organise solo and chorus folk music, dance and recitation of poems at Mirpur, Danyia, Rayerbazar and different other places in the capital at 4:00pm.
Bangla Academy will stage cultural function and solo lecture at Rabindra-Chattar on the premises of the academy at 7.30am while a 10-day book-fair titled “Boier Arang” will begin tomorrow marking the festival.
Besides, Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation and Bangla Academy will organize a 10-day Baishakhi Fair on the academy premises from tomorrow. Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu will inaugurate the fair at 4:00pm tomorrow.
Dhakeshwai National Temple will organize fair while Jatiya Press Club will arrange a variety of traditional food items for the members and their family on the club premises. Dhaka Reporters’ Unity also arrange identical programme.
Meanwhile, foolproof security measures have been taken across the country to avert any untoward incident during the celebration while Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will deploy special team in the capital to tackle eve-teasing on Pahela Baishakh.
Ramna Park and Suhrawardi Udyan areas have been taken under complete CCTV surveillance while Police in uniform and in undercover will be deployed in and around the function areas. Visitors will have to enter the venues through archways and metal detector checking, DMP commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Miah said.
Improved diets will be served among the inmates of jails, hospitals and orphanages in the country. Cultural functions will also be held at jails and orphanages.
