Noboborsho welcomed with symbolic Mongol Shovajatra

Pohela Boishakh, the soul festival of Bangalees, came at a time when the government has declared a ‘7-day strict lockdown’ to combat the second wave of coronavirus in the country. Due to the ban on public gatherings, the Bengali New Year 1428 was welcomed with the symbolic Mongol Shovajatra.
The symbolic Mongol Shovajatra was held on Wednesday morning with various masks made by the artists of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University (DU) followed the hygiene rules and maintained physical distance.

The procession was led by State Minister for Culture KM Khalid and Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman. With this, the Bangla Noboborsho was celebrated on a limited at the DU’s Faculty of Fine Arts with the slogan “It is beautiful this time in the guise of terror yesterday”.

Besides, various masks and symbols of the symbolic Mongol Shovajatra were displayed and broadcasted in electronic media.

State Minister for Culture KM Khalid said the Mongol Shovajatra is a part of the world heritage. But in the current COVID pandemic situation, it is not possible to celebrate the Pohela Boishakh in a festive atmosphere.

We hope Bangladesh will be able to celebrate the Bengali New Year as before in the future post-COVID period. I would like to thank the university authorities for organizing a short symbolic Mongol Shovajatra in spite of various obstacles, he added.

DU Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Dr. ASM ASM Maksud Kamal, Treasurer Prof. Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts Prof. Nisar Hossain, President of DU Teachers Association Prof. Dr. Md. Rahmat Ullah, General Secretary Prof. Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan and a small number of teachers and students of the Faculty of Fine Arts took part in the symbolic Mongol Shovajatra.