Bangladesh High Commission hosts Hilsa Festival in New Delhi

The Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi hosted a colourful Hilsa Festival on Saturday, showcasing Bangladesh’s national fish and its cultural significance.

The festival was organised at the Maitree Auditorium of the Bangladesh High Commission on Saturday afternoon, said a press release. 

Indian politicians, diplomats, civil society representatives, academics, journalists, cultural personalities and other prominent figures attended the event.

Prominent Indian personalities also unveiled the book A Fish Called Ilish, published in Dhaka.

The festival centred on hilsa, an integral part of Bengali heritage, culture and cuisine. Various hilsa dishes and traditional Bangladeshi foods were served, highlighting the diversity of the country’s culinary traditions.

Former Indian foreign minister and journalist MJ Akbar, former diplomat and politician Mani Shankar Aiyar, human rights activist and social thinker Saida Hamdi, former Indian ambassador Ronen Sen and noted sociologist Ashis Nandy, among others, attended the event.

The guests praised the taste of Bangladeshi hilsa and the arrangements at the festival. They expressed hope that such events would help showcase Bangladesh’s heritage, culture and hospitality to its friends and well-wishers in India and contribute to strengthening the existing friendly ties between the peoples of the two countries.

After the unveiling of the book, Bangladesh High Commissioner Md Riaz Hamidullah said hilsa was deeply intertwined with Bangladesh’s identity and was closely connected with the country’s society and economy.

He said, “Bangladesh has five hilsa sanctuaries and the government has taken several initiatives to increase hilsa breeding and production. As a result, hilsa conservation and production are gradually increasing.”

Officials of the Bangladesh High Commission were present at the event.