Pahela Baishakh celebrated amid fanfare
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bengali New Year 1416, was celebrated Tuesday with thousands of revellers rollicking on the city streets and elsewhere across the country amid foolproof security, reports UNB.
The capital city wore a festive look as the city dwellers, irrespective of age, cast and creed, streamed into Ramna Park, Suhrawardy Udyan, Dhaka University campus and the banks of Dhanmondi Lake from morning to evening.
'Esho Hey Baishakh, Esho, Esho', an inimitable song of Rabindranath Tagore, was rendered by artistes of 'Chhayanaut' at Ramna Batamul, the prime venue of the celebrations, at dawn hailing the Bengali New Year.
Men wearing panjabi-pajama, women attired in white saris with red borders, and young girls, boys and children with painted face and donning paper-made caps thronged all traditional Baishakhi Melas (fairs) and other cultural functions in the city and elsewhere in the country.
Different cultural organisations, including Bangla Academy, Shilpakala Academy and Nazrul Institute, organised cultural functions on the occasion.
The Dhaka University campus, the focal point of the country's cultural activities, and its adjacent areas turned into a human sea as people from all walks of life, including its present and former students, gathered there to enjoy various cultural programmes.
Many song-lovers enjoyed Bengali songs and music at TSC of Dhaka University, Fine Arts Institute and Shahbagh.
People in holiday mood also thronged the Central Shaheed Minar, Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban and Chandrima Udyan throughout the day.
Many in nostalgic mood took 'Panta Bhat' (watery rice) with fried hilsha, lentil, green chili and onion at home, restaurants and fairs following the rich tradition of Bangali culture.
Students of the Institute of Fine Arts wearing colourful masks of birds and animals brought out a 'mangal shobhajatra' (procession of good wishes) in the morning.
The Baishakh Udjapan Jatiya Parishad also brought out a procession from the Central Shaheed Minar.
The Libertarian War Museum arranged different culture programmes in the morning.
Many had been on the campus and returned home on foot with their family members braving scorching heat as there was a lack of rickshaws and other public transports.
The city dwellers saw severe traffic jams in different areas as many roads were made off-limit to traffic for security reasons. Those streets witnessed huge traffic jam with traffic police looking helpless in tackling the rush of rickshaws, cars and buses.
The capital city wore a festive look as the city dwellers, irrespective of age, cast and creed, streamed into Ramna Park, Suhrawardy Udyan, Dhaka University campus and the banks of Dhanmondi Lake from morning to evening.
'Esho Hey Baishakh, Esho, Esho', an inimitable song of Rabindranath Tagore, was rendered by artistes of 'Chhayanaut' at Ramna Batamul, the prime venue of the celebrations, at dawn hailing the Bengali New Year.
Men wearing panjabi-pajama, women attired in white saris with red borders, and young girls, boys and children with painted face and donning paper-made caps thronged all traditional Baishakhi Melas (fairs) and other cultural functions in the city and elsewhere in the country.
Different cultural organisations, including Bangla Academy, Shilpakala Academy and Nazrul Institute, organised cultural functions on the occasion.
The Dhaka University campus, the focal point of the country's cultural activities, and its adjacent areas turned into a human sea as people from all walks of life, including its present and former students, gathered there to enjoy various cultural programmes.
Many song-lovers enjoyed Bengali songs and music at TSC of Dhaka University, Fine Arts Institute and Shahbagh.
People in holiday mood also thronged the Central Shaheed Minar, Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban and Chandrima Udyan throughout the day.
Many in nostalgic mood took 'Panta Bhat' (watery rice) with fried hilsha, lentil, green chili and onion at home, restaurants and fairs following the rich tradition of Bangali culture.
Students of the Institute of Fine Arts wearing colourful masks of birds and animals brought out a 'mangal shobhajatra' (procession of good wishes) in the morning.
The Baishakh Udjapan Jatiya Parishad also brought out a procession from the Central Shaheed Minar.
The Libertarian War Museum arranged different culture programmes in the morning.
Many had been on the campus and returned home on foot with their family members braving scorching heat as there was a lack of rickshaws and other public transports.
The city dwellers saw severe traffic jams in different areas as many roads were made off-limit to traffic for security reasons. Those streets witnessed huge traffic jam with traffic police looking helpless in tackling the rush of rickshaws, cars and buses.