Millions usher in Bangla New Year amid heatwave

Mon, Apr 14th, 2008 7:39 pm BdST




Dhaka, April 14 –Millions celebrated Pahela Baishakh, the Bangla New Year, on Monday despite the continuing heatwave.

Crowds streamed through the scorching city streets making for the leafy shade of Ramna Batamul amid heightened security.

Cultural organisation Chhayanaut, which has been organising the day's centerpiece event since 1965, ushered in the first day of the Bangla year 1415 with songs and other performances in the cool early hours of the morning.

The festive mood was not confined to the capital; people around the country welcomed the Bangla New Year amid merry making, fairs and festivities.

Marchers in masks and traditional dress, mostly students of the Institute of Fine Arts, led a colourful parade of thousands through Dhaka University campus.

But the crowds were soon awash in a sweltering sea, as there was no let up of the heatwave that had intensified in the days preceding Pahela Baishakh.

A rickshawallah pulling New Year revellers under the scorching sun was seen passing out briefly in front of Jagganath Hall. As he cried out for water, the passengers handed him Tk 100 before walking away.

Passengers on vehicles ranging from motorbikes to buses were not immune from the effects of the heat either, as they were stuck in tailbacks to allow the passage of pedestrians along the crowded streets.

The Baishakhi celebration spread from Bangla Motor to the Institute of Fine Arts via Shahbag, Dhaka University's TSC to Kakrail and Topkhana Road.

The Mongol Shobhajatra parade started from the institute of Fine Arts at 8am. Several thousand people participated in the parade, ushering in good spirits for the new year and vowing to defeat the any ill-will. Participants wore colourful masks or carried symbolic figures to protest fundamentalism, communalism and corruption.

At the forefront of the parade were processionists carrying figures of the owl, tortoise, tiger and elephant as well as lakkhir sara (vessels of good fortune).

The procession marched through Dhaka University campus and Ramna, with thousands of men, women and children of all ages and professions wearing colourful masks, carrying green banners and playing flutes and other instruments.

Traditional baul or folk songs floated through the air at the Rabindra Sarobar area by Dhanmondi lake. Those who did not feel up to fighting through the crowds enjoyed the scenes of festivity from the roofs of their houses— from Mirpur, Basabo and Old Dhaka to Uttara, Gulshan and Jatrabari.

A US resident who participated in the festival told bdnews24.com: "We observe our New Year. But there is nowhere near such spirit in it. The participation of people of all ages on such a large scale is amazing."

"It feels good to be here to welcome the Bangla New Year. Happy New Year!"

Ahmed Sohel, a Dhaka University student of Islamic history, "Bangla New Year is rooted in the nationhood of Bangalees. So we came to the Ramna Batamul at dawn. There is huge emotion involved with this festival."

A security blanket was thrown over the capital on the eve of the Bangla New Year, and strict safety measures taken across the rest of the country, to prevent any disturbance of the New Year festivities.

Security forces swept Ramna Park, closing it to the public from 3 pm Sunday till 4 am Monday. A central control room, five observation towers, 22 closed circuit television cameras and 50 check posts were set up inside the park.

Those who came to attend the Pahela Baishakh programme Monday morning were checked before entering the park.
Bomb-disposal experts and dog squads patrolled the main festival premises and adjoining areas, with back-up forces on hand to face any situation round the clock. (bdnews24.com)

The month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair-2008

February marks commemoration of Language Movement Martyrs
Fri, Feb 1st, 2008 3:27 pm BdST


Dhaka, Feb 01 — Friday marks the beginning of February's month long commemoration of the sacrifices made by the Language Movement Martyrs in 1952.

The names of Salam, Barkat, Rafique, Jabbar and Safiur are remembered for their enduring sacrifice to the nation.

Social, cultural and political organisations have drawn up various programmes to mark the events of February 1952, when the former East Pakistan fought for the right to speak in their mother tongue.

Many historians trace the attempted imposition of Urdu as the national language of East Pakistan in the post partition period as one of the key factors leading up to the Liberation War of 1971.

The struggle to maintain Bengali as the national language has been recognised around the world, with Feb 21 now celebrated globally as International Mother Language Day.




Fri, Feb 1st, 2008 1:01 pm BdST


Dhaka, Feb 1 —The month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair—offering book lovers 373 stalls from 236 publishing bodies—is to be inaugurated Friday afternoon.

There will also be a 'writers' corner' at Nazrul Mancha from which writers will launch new books, while visitors will be provided with fax and internet facilities for the first time.

As every year, the venue has been divided into five sections commemorating martyred language movement veterans Salam, Rafik, Jabbar, Barkat and Shafiur.

A portrait will be installed in the memory of Chittaranjan Saha, late publisher of Muktodhara, the pioneer of the book fair.


The Bangla Academy this year has allotted 373 stalls to 236 organisations, which include publishing houses as well as government, private and voluntary organisations.
Bangla Academy director Syed Md Shahed said the academy itself had published some 40 books on different issues this year and another 15 books would be published during the fair.

There will be one pavilion for the Nazrul Institute and two for 22 little magazines.

The fair was open from 3pm to 9pm on weekdays, from 11am to 9pm on weekends and from 8am to 10pm to mark International Mother Language Day on Feb 21. There will be a break for two hours from 12 noon on Fridays.


Visitors was provided with fax and internet facilities to exchange information on the fair for the first time.

The month-long festival shown cultural programmes every evening.

Event management organisation Media Step is undertaking the staging and lighting. A number of decorative gates have also been erected across the avenue in front of the academy from Shikkha Bhaban to Dhaka University's TSC.

The academy's coordination and public relations department will hold a press conference titled Gronthomela Protidin at 5.30pm every day in the seminar room.

21 February__International Mother Language Day

With around 207 million speakers and occupying the 7th spot in the list of the world's most widely spoken languages, Bangla is a dynamic language that continues to grow. Yet it is one that is not appreciated enough, often sidelined for other foreign languages.We only realize its value during Ekushey February, the International Mother Language Day.The truth, however, is that Bangla is one of the most lyrical languages out there. Proof enough lies in its poetry, songs and proverbs.One who hasn't explored this realm of Bangla hasn't known it at all.



Ekushey (21 February) observed with reverence Staff Correspondent The Central Shaheed Minar is flooded with flowers placed by thousands of people as homage to the Language Movement martyrs yesterday. Photo: STAR The Central Shaheed Miner was flooded with flowers as thousands barefooted, wearing black ribbons and holding bouquets close to their bosoms thronged there to pay homage to the brave sons of the soil who laid down their lives in 1952 for mother tongue Bangla.

With daybreak people kept flooding in leaving hardly any space for free movement at the Central Shaheed Minar, symbol of the spirit of not bowing down to repression.

On February 21, 1952, Salam, Barkat, Shafiur, Rafiq, Jabbar and a few other brave sons of the soil sacrificed their lives to establish Bangla as one of the state languages of the then Pakistan. The day has since been observed as the Language Martyrs Day. Unesco declared it International Mother Language Day in November 1999. People outside the capital and Bangladesh missions abroad also paid homage to the martyrs placing flowers after midnight at Shaheed Minars.
















It was a public holiday and the national flag alongside black flags flew at half-mast on government, autonomous and private buildings. Bangladesh Embassy in Kathmandu in association with Dabur Nepal, a private organisation, organised a week-long painting exhibition at the embassy marking the day. Bangladesh High Commission in Male organised a poetry reading programme and a discussion at Chancery Building yesterday. Meanwhile, expatriate Bangladeshis in the US paid homage to language martyrs across the country, reports News World.

Pohela Boshonto ( The First day of Spring Season)

Pohela Boshonto ( The First day of Spring Season) Festival in Bangladesh. Its one of the most Important & Colorful festive in Bengali culture. We celebrate here The First day of Spring of Every year which called in Bengali "Pohela Boshonto" .

Rural Beauty of Bangladesh [Winter Season]

last winter'06 when I picked those images.
It's on the way and very near to my village.
It was almost 12p.m. but still nature are covered by fog !

On the way to country road of Bangladesh

On the way to country road of Bangladesh


Tonight Im gonna open a blog named "Methopoth" which means "Country Road"। No no ... reader don't be confused, It's not the Denver's, its mine and absolutely mine !I wanna show up my Motherland beauties here that beauty,that beauty, which made passionate our poets, painter, singers.Rabindranath Tagore recite lots of great songs regarding our natural beauty,Jobononda das recited lot of Poems where we can find the smell of our soil,Painters made landscape which make them mad to do........really such a beauty which wouldn't be described only TEXT,unless and until you see yourself own !