Month-long folk festival begins at Sonargaon

SONARGAON (Narayanganj), Feb 14 (BSS): Minister for Cultural Affairs Asaduzzaman Noor said here today that Bangladesh Folk Art and Crafts Foundation at Sonargaon has long been playing a pivotal role in promoting national cultural heritage and tradition among the budding youths of the country.

The Minister said this while inaugurating as the chief guest a month-long folk art and crafts festival on the premises of the Foundation. The festival will end on March 14.

Director of the Foundation Poet Rabindra Gope presided over the inaugural function which was also addressed, among others, by lawmaker from Narayanganj-3 constituency Liaquat Hossain Khoka, former lawmaker Abdullah-Al-Kawsar, president of Sonargaon Thana Awami League Advocate Shamsul Islam Bhuiyan, a veteran of the historic Language Movement Ahmad Rafique and artist of Swadhin Bangla Beter Kendra Monoranjan Ghoshal.

Paying glowing tributes to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the minister said that the father of the nation founded Bangladesh Folk Art and Crafts Foundation on a 70-acres of land at the inspiration of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin on March 12 in 1975.

He said more than Taka 100 million was spent as part of an on-going development programme of the present government for infrastructural development of the foundation like expansion of security facilities by constructing boundary walls, construction of 48 new stalls in the crafts village, construction of three RCC bridges on its lake and Sonartori folklore stage in the style of a peacock boat and car parking facilities with adequate space to accommodate 400 cars to attract tourists from home and abroad.