Lalon fest kicks off

In memory of legendry mystic bard Baul king Lalon Shah, a three-day Lalon festival kicked off at Lalon Akhra of Cheuria village of Kushtia district from Thursday, reports UNB.

The festival will feature Lalon Mela, discussion and musical soiree every day.

The Lalon Academy in association with the cultural affairs ministry is organising the event.

On the occasion, the shrine of Fakir Lalon Shah has got a festive look and hundreds of devotees from home and abroad has thronged the Akhra.

With deputy commissioner of Kushtia Jahir Raihan in the chair, local lawmaker Mahbubul Alam Hanif will attend the ceremony as chief guest.

Kushtia police superintendent SM Mehedi Hasan, Zila Parishad chairman Haji Rabiul Islam, district Awami League president Sadar Uddin Khan and general secretary Azgar Ali will be special guests.

Islamic University vice chancellor professor Shahinur Rahman will present the keynote on the occasion.

Kushtia now turns into a town of festival.

The mystic songs of Lalon Shah reverberate at his den on the occasion.

A good number of floating vendors have set up different kinds of shops on the festival venue.

Additional security measures have been taken to ensure security of the entire occasion and visitors. police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and plain clothed detectives will remain deployed around the venue.

Lalon Shah was a Bengali baul, mystic, songwriter, social reformer and secular thinker. He has become an icon of religious tolerance and secularism in Bengali culture.