Welcoming 1423

Let us count the number of fun things we do while welcoming Pohela Boishakh, the Bengali New Year, which falls on April 14. Most people, 18 out of 20 interviewed by The Weekend Independent, said they look forward to having ‘panta bhaat’ (soaked rice) with fried hilsha, and dressing up in new colourful clothes that go hand in hand with the celebrations.
Shop windows are already displaying a variety of traditional outfits like sari, panjabi, lehenga, kurta and salwar-kameez sets in red and white, along with accessories to match.
Many said they look forward to visiting Ramna Batamul to enjoy the cultural functions, arranged by various cultural institutions of the country. Many like to visit the various traditional fairs, which are usually arranged in several locations, and buy clay or bamboo souvenirs that are rarely found nowadays.
Many will visit relatives and in many households, youngsters may collect tips from their elders to spend at the local fair or have a party on the side by themselves.
Some prefer to attend the celebrations that take place on the Dhaka University (DU) campus or join  festivities in their own neighbourhoods.
While others plan to spend the day at various hotels or restaurants offering ‘boishakhi’ packages, including traditional foods and entertainment. And then there are some who will take advantage of the long weekend _ Pohela Boishakh holiday is on Thursday this year _ for a quick gateway with family or friends.
Our festive nature comes out in many forms while celebrating this festival cherished by all.  The Weekend Independent caught up with the students of DU’s Faculty of  Fine Arts for a chit chat to learn about their wonderful preparations for the ‘Mongol Shobha Jatra’ rally, which has been a trend set by the students for a long time now.
According to Shudipto Shikder, a student of batch 17, the rally started to gain popularity and momentum from 1989 to 1990 approximately.
Fokrul Islam Majumder Shakil, another fellow from batch 17, who was working in the painting stall of the fair that is going on at the arts faculty, better known as Charukala, said: “We look forward to this celebration every year. The students of our department _ seniors, juniors, the alumni body _ even our teachers, everyone works to raise money for the ‘Mongol Shobha Jatra’. We are like a family here, we all work in a joyous atmosphere to celebrate the Bangla New Year that has become an intricate part of our culture. The trend is thus, every year, the graduating class is in charge of the celebration arrangements, and this year it is our turn.”
“We do not have sponsors as we do not want to commercialise this celebration. This is an open-for-all arrangement. Anyone who is an artist can come and contribute towards raising money for the rally. We arrange this artistic fair and we really enjoy the whole process. This celebration is for everyone and to keep it original, we tend not to look for sponsors. But we welcome any contributions made by benefactors. There is no fixed amount, we make do with what we get. We want everyone to enjoy like we do,” Shakil added.
When talking about security measures by the organisers, Saiful Islam Jony, another student, said: “We are thinking of banning ‘vuvuzelas’ this year. It is extremely loud and in the commotion it is difficult to hear if anyone is calling out for help. We will be having more volunteers dispersed along the length of the rally, and hopefully, there will be official security in civil clothing for added protection. We are also thinking no face masks this year. It is challenging to discern ones identity. Instead, we will be displaying the masks, all big and small, on sticks. The works of art will be more visible that way.”
Jony also gave a tour of the campus to this correspondent to show the various preparations regarding the celebrations and pointed out the work shed that houses the papier maché masks and artworks that will be part of the Pohela Boishakh decorations. He also informed that the shed itself would be painted and covered in drawings to give it a new look from its current ‘nokshi-katha’ design.
“People from all walks of life throng our campus during the Pohela Boishakh celebrations and sometimes, it gets so crowded that we have to walk sideways in order to just move around,”  Jony remarked.
To learn more about official security measures, Weekend Independent met with Abu Baker Siddique, officer in-charge of Shahbag police station: “We will be placing many more CCTV cameras with better resolution throughout the celebration area. The number of watch towers will also be increased this year from Shahbag to Doyel Chattar, particularly at Suhrawardy Udyan. The entry and exit points will be in separate locations for added security. There will also be continuous monitoring and more police will be on duty on the day. We have planned ahead and we are working towards making the festival an enjoyable occasion this year.”
Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on April 2 announced that all outdoor public events on Pohela Boishakh must wrap up by 5pm.
“We cannot stop the festivities. But we request everyone to wrap it all up by 5pm. Law enforcers will move in to clear all public places by 6pm,“ Kamal told the media after a meeting on security with top officials of the law-enforcing agencies.
Also, wearing masks and blowing horns like vuvuzela will be banned during the festivities on April 14.
The minister added that the measures will be in place so that celebrations can take place without disruption.
It has been 15 years since a banned extremist group tried to ruin the celebrations with a bomb attack at Ramna Botomul in 2001, killing about 10 people and wounding dozens of others. Only last year, assaults by hoodlums marred the festivities for some young women out to enjoy the day on the DU campus.
Let us all take a moment to remember the victims, and the survivors. Let us hope that the new year celebrations are the most enjoyable yet this year as we wish you all ‘Shuvo Nobobarsha’ 1423.

Photos: Writer

 

Welcoming 1423

Let us count the number of fun things we do while welcoming Pohela Boishakh, the Bengali New Year, which falls on April 14. Most people, 18 out of 20 interviewed by The Weekend Independent, said they look forward to having panta bhaat (soaked rice) with fried hilsha, and dressing up in new colourful clothes that go hand in hand with the celebrations. Shop windows are already displaying a variety of traditional outfits like sari, panjabi, lehenga, kurta and salwar-kameez sets in red and white, along with accessories to match. Many said they look forward to visiting Ramna Batamul to enjoy the cultural functions, arranged by various cultural institutions of the country. Many like to visit the various traditional fairs, which are usually arranged in several locations, and buy clay or bamboo souvenirs that are rarely found nowadays. Many will visit relatives and in many households, youngsters may collect tips from their elders to spend at the local fair or have a party on the side by themselves. Some prefer to attend the celebrations that take place on the Dhaka University (DU) campus or join festivities in their own neighbourhoods. While others plan to spend the day at various hotels or restaurants offering boishakhi packages, including traditional foods and entertainment. And then there are some who will take advantage of the long weekend _ Pohela Boishakh holiday is on Thursday this year _ for a quick gateway with family or friends. Our festive nature comes out in many forms while celebrating this festival cherished by all. The Weekend Independent caught up with the students of DUs Faculty of Fine Arts for a chit chat to learn about their wonderful preparations for the Mongol Shobha Jatra rally, which has been a trend set by the students for a long time now. According to Shudipto Shikder, a student of batch 17, the rally started to gain popularity and momentum from 1989 to 1990 approximately. Fokrul Islam Majumder Shakil, another fellow from batch 17, who was working in the painting stall of the fair that is going on at the arts faculty, better known as Charukala, said: We look forward to this celebration every year. The students of our department _ seniors, juniors, the alumni body _ even our teachers, everyone works to raise money for the Mongol Shobha Jatra. We are like a family here, we all work in a joyous atmosphere to celebrate the Bangla New Year that has become an intricate part of our culture. The trend is thus, every year, the graduating class is in charge of the celebration arrangements, and this year it is our turn. We do not have sponsors as we do not want to commercialise this celebration. This is an open-for-all arrangement. Anyone who is an artist can come and contribute towards raising money for the rally. We arrange this artistic fair and we really enjoy the whole process. This celebration is for everyone and to keep it original, we tend not to look for sponsors. But we welcome any contributions made by benefactors. There is no fixed amount, we make do with what we get. We want everyone to enjoy like we do, Shakil added. When talking about security measures by the organisers, Saiful Islam Jony, another student, said: We are thinking of banning vuvuzelas this year. It is extremely loud and in the commotion it is difficult to hear if anyone is calling out for help. We will be having more volunteers dispersed along the length of the rally, and hopefully, there will be official security in civil clothing for added protection. We are also thinking no face masks this year. It is challenging to discern ones identity. Instead, we will be displaying the masks, all big and small, on sticks. The works of art will be more visible that way. Jony also gave a tour of the campus to this correspondent to show the various preparations regarding the celebrations and pointed out the work shed that houses the papier mach masks and artworks that will be part of the Pohela Boishakh decorations. He also informed that the shed itself would be painted and covered in drawings to give it a new look from its current nokshi-katha design. People from all walks of life throng our campus during the Pohela Boishakh celebrations and sometimes, it gets so crowded that we have to walk sideways in order to just move around, Jony remarked. To learn more about official security measures, Weekend Independent met with Abu Baker Siddique, officer in-charge of Shahbag police station: We will be placing many more CCTV cameras with better resolution throughout the celebration area. The number of watch towers will also be increased this year from Shahbag to Doyel Chattar, particularly at Suhrawardy Udyan. The entry and exit points will be in separate locations for added security. There will also be continuous monitoring and more police will be on duty on the day. We have planned ahead and we are working towards making the festival an enjoyable occasion this year. Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on April 2 announced that all outdoor public events on Pohela Boishakh must wrap up by 5pm. We cannot stop the festivities. But we request everyone to wrap it all up by 5pm. Law enforcers will move in to clear all public places by 6pm, Kamal told the media after a meeting on security with top officials of the law-enforcing agencies. Also, wearing masks and blowing horns like vuvuzela will be banned during the festivities on April 14. The minister added that the measures will be in place so that celebrations can take place without disruption. It has been 15 years since a banned extremist group tried to ruin the celebrations with a bomb attack at Ramna Botomul in 2001, killing about 10 people and wounding dozens of others. Only last year, assaults by hoodlums marred the festivities for some young women out to enjoy the day on the DU campus. Let us all take a moment to remember the victims, and the survivors. Let us hope that the new year celebrations are the most enjoyable yet this year as we wish you all Shuvo Nobobarsha 1423. Photos: Writer