ISD celebrates Pahela Baishakh with Baishakhi mela and more

International School Dhaka (ISD) celebrated Pahela Baishakh with an iconic Baishakhi Mela, having different stalls, exciting games, and much more. The school also brought together students, parents, faculty, and staff for a music video on the song 'Phule Phule Dhole Dhole' in celebration of Pahela Baishakh.

To mark the beginning of Bangla New Year, ISD celebrated Pahela Baishakh on campus, holding an exceptional Baishakhi Mela. The mela consisted of face paintings, ring toss games, and Boishakhi inspired handicrafts and arts. Apart from that, the Baishakhi fair is also comprised of ten stalls held by its staff with food, clothing, jewelry, arts, traditional sweetmeats, and more, reflecting our traditional Bangla culture. Students, parents, and staff members attended the fair and participated in different games. Besides, in the field, secondary students organized kabaddi and kite-flying contests.

Additionally, ISD organised a photo booth on a traditional rickshaw, allowing guests to know Bangla culture, have fun, use props, and make memories that will last a lifetime. Moreover, to make the celebration a notch higher, ISD collaborated with students, parents, faculty, and staff to create a music video mash-up of two songs, Phule Phule Dhole Dhole (1882) by Rabindranath Tagore and The Banks O' Doon (1791) by Robert Burns. The Scottish song written by Robert Burns inspired Tagore to write the song "Phule Phule" on the same melodic schema.

On this occasion, Thomas Van der Wielen, Director, International School Dhaka (ISD), said, "Pahela Baishakh is the reflection of age-old Bangla tradition. Irrespective of caste, creed, and religious beliefs, Pahela Baishakh, brings together the whole Bangla-speaking world into one. ISD is proud to be a part of this historical celebration! We hope to keep on celebrating similar occasions to teach our students about the importance of Bangladesh's true culture and heritage.”