RANGPUR, – All eight districts in Rangpur division turned into joyous places of amusements on Sunday while welcoming ‘Pahela Baishakh’, the first day of Bengali New Year 1426, with day-long colourful celebration programmes.
Side by side with celebrations of the auspicious occasion in Rangpur city and district towns in the division, thousands of people, especially youths, thronged the tourist, entertainment, recreational spots in rural areas to enjoy joyous moments.
Officials in the district and upazila administrations and local people said enthusiastic people of all ages particularly youths wearing traditional Baishakhi dresses thronged these recreational places maintaining festive mood till the sunset.
In Rangpur, thousands of people thronged recreational spots like ‘Proyas’ Entertainment Park, Fantasy Zone, Tazhat Zamider’s Palace, Chikley Lake Water Park, Rangpur Zoo, ‘Surobhi Uddyan’, ‘Vinnojagat’, ‘Ananda Nagar’, Teesta
Road Bridge at Kawnia, Sheikh Hasina Bridge at Mohipur, ‘Neelamborer Jalmahal’, Teesta Barrage Canal and other recreational spots to enjoy the festivity.
Similarly, innumerable people thronged ‘Shopnopuri Artificial Amusement Park’, Kantajew Temple, Ramsagar National Park, Dinajpur Rajbari’ and ‘Gore Sheed Eidgah Maidan’ in Dinajpur, Funcity Amusement Park in Thakurgaon, ‘Neelsagar’ and Teesta Barrage in Nilphamari, ‘Bhitargarh Maharaja Dighee’, ‘Tentulia Dak Banglo’, Mahananda riverbank and Banglabandha Land Port in Panchagarh, Sheikh Hasina Dharla Bridge in Kurigram and other places of amusement in the division.
The recreational, entertainment and tourist spots were colourfully decorated with amusement flavour to attract huge enthusiastic visitors who blissfully welcomed the ‘Pahela Baishakh’ there.
Hundreds of boys, girls, school-college-university level students, youths and children with their parents gathered at those places where temporary fairs, shops and business centres were set up displaying traditional Baishakhi foods, handcrafts and toys.
Mayor of Rangpur Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa said thousands of people of all ages thronged the Chikley Lake Water Park in the city and passed their joyful time and shared pleasure of festivity.
Deputy Commissioner of Kurigram Sultana Pervin said ‘Pahela Baishakh’ was celebrated amid huge enthusiasm in Kurigram where many people visited recreational places to enjoy festivities as their socioeconomic conditions
improved in last ten years.
Like in other seven districts of Rangpur division, common people from all walks in life cheerfully welcomed ‘Pahela Baishakh’ through colourful traditional programmes in Rangpur on Sunday.
The district administration, Rangpur City Corporation, Sommilito Sangskritik Jyote, socio-cultural, literary, trade and other organisations and educational institutions welcomed ‘Pahela Boishakh’ amid tight security measures.
Talking to BSS, Rangpur Deputy Commissioner Enamul Habib said Rangpur Metropolitan Police, District Police, RAB-13 and other law enforcement agencies ensured leak-proof security to celebrate ‘Baishakhi’ programmes
peacefully.
The celebrations began in the morning with traditional ‘Baishakhi’ programmes of Shishu Academy and Shilpokola Academy at Banyan Tree premises and ‘Sommilito Sangskriti Jyote’ on Central Shaheed Minar premises.
Mayor of Rangpur Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa and Divisional Commissioner Muhammad Joynul Bari inaugurated the celebrations at Central Shaheed Minar premises and Banyan Tree premises respectively in the city.
Led by Divisional Commissioner Muhammad Joynul Bari, the district administration brought out the main ‘Baishakhi’ procession of ‘Mongol Shobhayatra’ from Zila School ground to welcome the Bengali New Year-1426.
Thousands of jubilant people wearing traditional dresses and carrying festoons, placards, banners and singing `Esho Hey Baishakh, Esho Esho’ participated in the ‘Mongol Shobhayatra’ to welcome the fortunate day.
Local artistes rendered ‘Baishakhi’ songs, ‘Polli Geeti’, ‘Jarigan’, ‘Bhatiali’, ‘Bhaoyaiya’, ‘Baul’, ‘Lalon Geeti’, ‘Rabindra Sangeet’, ‘Nazrul Geeti’ and folk songs at the Banyan Tree and Central Shaheed Minar premises. Improved traditional Bengali foods were served to inmates of hospitals, Rangpur Central Jail, orphanages, shishu paribars, vagabond centres and orphanages.
The traditional ‘Baishakhi Mela’, cultural functions, staging dramas, doll- dances, ‘Nagor Dola’, ‘Ha-Du-Du’, ‘Lathi Khela’, kite flying and discussions were arranged both in urban and rural areas of Rangpur like other districts in the division.
