Lalon Memorial Festival in Kushtia concludes amid thin attendance

Our Correspondent | Published: March 10, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: March 09, 2015 20:53:30

JHENIDAH, Mar 9: With the declaration of establishment of a modern resort for tourists and researchers on Lalon Academy premises within one year, the 5-day Lalon Memorial Festival - 2015 concluded here at Chheuria Lalon shrine in Kushtia Sunday last.
The five-day festival featured a grameen fair, discussions and musical soiree.
Md. Mahabubul Alam Hanif, MP of Kushtia-3 constituency and joint-general secretary of Bangladesh Awami League (AL) attended the concluding programme of the festival as the chief guest with Syed Belal Hossain, Deputy Commissioner of Kushtia in the chair.
Habibur Rahman Siraj, secretary of labour affairs of the central committee of AL, Alhaj Sadruddin Khan, upazila chairman, Khoksa, Abdul Mannan Khan, upazila chairman, Kumarkhali, Zahid Hossain, co-chairman, Lalon Academy and ex-general secretary, Lalon Academy, among others, also took part in the discussions in the evening.
Mahabubul Alam Hanif in his speech said that a modern rest house at Lalon shrine would be built before the next Smaran Utsab of the Baul King. Step will also be taken to solve the crisis of drinking water in Lalon shrine, he added.
Meanwhile, unlike the previous years, none came forward this year as a sponsor of the memorial festival due to the persisting political impasse in the country.
This year attendance of visitors at the ceremony was thinner than the previous years for countrywide non-stop blockade coupled with hartals.
Around two hundred stalls were set up at the fair. However, business during the five days was considerably dull with the stalls-owners incurring heavy losses as many people from distant places did not dare to appear at the programme.
Besides, owners had to spend more money this year for taking allotment of stalls in the fair. A stall (9 feet/10 feet) needed Tk 9,000 this year whereas it was Tk. 6,000 last year.
A number of stalls of a variety of items under Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) were installed at the fair. However, sales this year was much less than the previous years.
Babu Mia, owner of Sohel Traders, a stall of BSCIC items at the fair, told this correspondent, "I had to spend around Tk. 57,000 including stall setting up cost and wages for employees here for five days. However, I got nearly Tk 32,000 from the sales proceedings."
Many other stall-keepers, including those of sweetmeats, shoes and mats and musical instruments yesterday echoed the same stories of incurring big losses at Lalon fair.
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