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Chhayanaut, a pre-eminent cultural platform in Bangladesh, has called for unity and hope on the first day of the Bengali New Year as the coronavirus pandemic threatens to upend lives the world over.
The message came in a digital programme celebrating the new year which aired on various television channels on Tuesday.
The programme, ‘Ujjiboni Surobani’, included songs sung in the Pahela Baishakh celebrations last year and an epilogue by Chhayanaut Chairperson Sanjida Khatun.
“Today's not a day of festivity. Rather, it is a day to rescue people in trouble. It is the time to keep yourself and others safe. During this global disaster, everyone is seemingly alone but at the same time we are all fighting the disaster together,” said Sanjida.
The practice of social distancing is essential to keeping the virus at bay. The government has imposed a nationwide shutdown and barred people from celebrating the Bengali New Year together in mass gathering events.
People have instead been asked to celebrate the new year at home with their families this time as the coronavirus outbreak intensified.
In light of the present situation, Chhayanaut produced a digital programme marking Pahela Baishakh instead of their traditional programme at Ramna Batamul, an intrinsic part of the Bengali New Year celebrations in the country, reports bdnews24.com.
The Bengali new year was introduced by the Mughals as a harvest calendar. Over time, it has turned into a cultural heritage.
Chhayanaut has been greeting the new year with traditional songs and poetry recitations at the historic Ramna Batamul almost every year since its inception in 1967, despite threats and attacks from extremists. Apart from this year, the only other time that the organisation didn't hold the celebrations was during the Liberation War in 1971.