Thousands attend Mangal Shovajatra, welcome Bengali new year
People from all ages and walks of life have joined the Mangal Shovajatra in Dhaka and welcomed the Bengali new year by dancing with the rhythm of drums.
Some of them were seen with headbands with ‘Pahela Baishakh’ inscriptions, while some with flower garlands. With the colourful procession around 9:15 am, thousands of people marched from the fine arts faculty of Dhaka University to Shahbagh, Ramna Tennis Complex, and Shishu Park, and returned to the beginning point via the TSC roundabout.
A large number of participants were seen carrying small drums, while others wore colourful masks shaped like fish, birds, owls, elephants, and flowers. Alongside them were striding huge symbols of elephants, birds and Pangolin.
During a spot visit before the procession, Shahbagh and the Fine Arts faculty areas were seen bustling with thousands of festival-goers dressed in traditional Bengali attire. Some foreigners also joined the festival.
Security forces were vigilant throughout the procession route, with RAB's motorcycle patrol team leading the way, followed by the police’s special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team members, other policemen, and intelligence personnel, respectively.
There were some drones to monitor the situation from above, in addition to the watchtowers.
Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, education and cultural affairs advisor to the prime minister; Dipu Moni, social welfare minister; Atiqul Islam, mayor of Dhaka north city corporation (DNCC); ASM Maksud Kamal, vice-chancellor of Dhaka University; among others, were present in the procession.
A group of friends from Old Dhaka were seen dancing to the rhythmic beats of drums. One of them, Adnan Al Ahsan, expressed his delight, saying that the Mangal Shovajatra is the main attraction of the day to them and that they join the celebration every year.
The Fine Arts faculty holds the Shovajatra each year and it adds colour to the new year celebrations. In 2016, the UNESCO recognised the Mangal Shovajatra as a world heritage.