Barsha Utsab, a Bengali festival to welcome the monsoon and the first day of Bengali Month ‘Ashar’, was celebrated across the country on Wednesday.
Different cultural organisations observed the day with various programmes.
Barsha Utsab Udjapon Parishad’s programme began at 7:30am at TSC with a session styled ‘Bashi badhon’ by eminent flutist Hasan Ali. DU Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman inaugurated the programme as the chief guest.
“Every year, we welcome the first day of ‘Ashar’ through this festival. Through such festivals, non-communal and human values are awakened among the people,” Akhtaruzzaman said.
Terming monsoon as the most suitable time for planting trees, the DU VC called all to plant more trees.
Bangla Academy Director General poet Nurul Huda, literary critic and researcher Prof Hayat Mamud, Sammilita Sangskritik Jote President Golam Quddus, General Secretary of Barsha Utsab Udjapan Parishad Manjar Chowdhury Sweet among others, were, spoke on the occasion with writer and researcher Dr Nigar Chowdhury in the chair.
Artistes from different cultural organisations performed instrumental music, group dance, chorus songs, solo songs and solo recitations at the festival.
The organisers said that the aim of Udichi is not to arrange a programme to entertain the urban middle class rather they wanted to pay tribute to the life of the working people of rural and urban areas by organising the seasonal event.
“The power of cultural movement will awaken the sleeping people and will play a vital role in building an egalitarian and non-communal Bangladesh just as the first rains of the monsoon awaken the war-torn nature,” said Professor Ratan Siddiqi, the Chief Guest of the programme.
Udichi Central Parliament President Prof Badiur Rahman, General Secretary Amit Ranjan Dey and Central Presidium Member poet Rahman Mofiz addressed the programme.
General Secretary of Udichi’s Dhaka Metropolitan Arif Noor anchored the function with its Vice-President of Dhaka Metropolitan Habibul Alam in the chair.
Earlier, the festival began with Jyoti Banerjee’s sitar playing on Meghmallar Raga at 7:00 am.
Dhaka University Cultural Society arranged another programme marking the day at 4:00 pm inside the TSC auditorium.
