A preparation meeting of Pahela Baishakh celebration, the first day of Bangla year 1432 was held on Monday at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building at Dhaka University.
Chaired by university vice-chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan, the meeting was attended by cultural affairs adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, pro-vice chancellor for administration Professor Saima Haque Bidisha, pro-vice chancellor for academic affairs Professor Mamun Ahmed, DU treasurer Professor Mohammad Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, faculty deans, chairs of different departments, officials of different ministries and representatives of different fine arts organisations.
To celebrate Bangla New Year in a peaceful, orderly and festive atmosphere on the campus, a decision was taken at the meeting to form a central coordinating committee with Saima Haque Bidisha as the convener. Various sub-committees would also be formed under the committee, according to the decision.听
A decision was also reached to start the Mangal Shobhajatra, a several decades old tradition of the university in which a colourful procession is held celebrating the tradition of arts and crafts of Bengal, at 9:00am from the faculty of fine art on Bangla New Year falling on April 14.听
Md Azharul Islam Sheikh, dean, the faculty of fine art at DU, said that the ministry of cultural affairs always played a coordinating role in the event and this year they wanted to make Mangal Shobhajatra more inclusive with participation of the national minorities.
鈥楾he title of the procession is still not fixed but a proposal of its renaming was discussed at the meeting. Dhaka University and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy will jointly work to bring out a colourful procession,鈥� said Azharul Islam, adding that the Chaitra Sankranti and Pahela Baishakh festival would be held as scheduled.
The preparation of Mangal Shobhajatra was in full swing on Monday with students and alumni of the DU fine art faculty busy in erecting big papier m芒ch茅 sculptures, festoons and other artworks for fundraising.
Earlier, cultural affairs adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki said that the name of Mangal Shobhajatra might be changed triggering a huge controversy on social media.
听
