Artistes from different cultural organisations celebrated ‘Nabanna Utshab’ – the traditional Bengali harvest celebration – performing songs, dance recitals and recitation on Sunday.
A new organisation, the Shororitu Udjapan Jatiya Parishad, held a cultural event at Rabindra Sarobar, Dhanmondi in the capital.
The event, which was chaired by the Parishad’s convener Ehsan Mahmud, featured dance recitals, folk songs, and poem recitations by various poets, alongside a discussion and member secretary Dipanto Rayhan delivered the welcome speech and also moderated the event.
Renowned Nazrul Sangeet singer Ferdous Ara said that people celebrate seasonal events like Boishakhi Utshab, Barsha Baran, Sharat, Nabanna, Poush Mela and others, which are deeply rooted in the culture and land, and carried forward by common people.
‘The presence of the audiences shows how involved people are with performances like music and dance, and I hope the organisers spread the event across the country,’ said Ferdous Ara, who did not perform at the event due to her sickness.  Â
Ehsan Mahmud said that Nabanna is not only a festival of collecting harvest, but a cultural identity of the nation.
Folk singers Sagor Baul, Dolly Mandal, Kohinur Akter Golapi and Aleya Begum, among others, performed at the event and dance artistes of Tandra and others rendered group dance.
Students of various universities, including Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Rajshahi University and University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, among others organised the Nabanna Utsab.
Earlier, Jatiya Nabanna Utsab Udjapan Parshad on Friday announced the cancellation of their annual event titled ‘Eso Mili Sobe Nabanner Utsabe’, which was scheduled to be held at Chhayanaut Auditorium on Sunday, via a Facebook post.