Sheikh Arif Bulbon :Whenever we think of celebrating winter, the inexpressible ingredient that immediately comes to our mind is Pitha (cake). As a nation, we are proud of our Pithas, which have a rich history of our culture.The recipe for Pitha, its preparation and ingredients-all are derived from the soil of our country bonding us strongly with our very own roots.To uphold our custom of preparing and having Pitha, a nine-day national Pitha festival titled ‘Jatiyo Pitha Utsab 1421’ is going on now on the Coffee House premises of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the city’s Segunbagicha area. Organised by Jatiyo Pitha Utsab Udjapon Parishad, the festival was inaugurated by noted theatre personality Ramendu Majumdar on January 19. The inauguration of the festival was presided over by noted cultural personality M Hamid, who is also chairman of the festival.The event was attended, among others, by theatre personality Ataur Rahman, lyricist Shahidullah Faraizi and celebrated singer Fakir Alamgir, among others. The discussion was followed by a colourful cultural programme, where local bauls performed traditional folk songs.Popular Bhawaiya singer Shafiul Alam Raja enthralled the audience with a few of his renditions.This year’s festival features around 35 stalls offering various kinds of exotic traditional Pithas made in winter nationwide.Pitha-enthusiasts in the capital Dhaka can enjoy 150 items of Pithas at the event.The festival is open every day from 3:00pm to 9:00pm. Apart from Pithas, the festival-goers can also enjoy traditional cultural programmes every day in the evening.The festival will also hold a competition in which best five stalls will receive awards from the organisers. n NN Photo
