Celebration of 400 years of Dhaka begins with a call to revive its past glory
July 31, 2008
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The two-year long programme in celebration of 400 years of Dhaka was launched in the capital on Wednesday aiming to revive the past glory of the historic capital and restore its beauty.
The programme ‘Dhaka Amar Dhaka’ began with a rally of children at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre at Agargaon.
Some 600 children took part in the event in the morning singing the national anthem. They also released pigeons and balloons amid traditional drum beating.
An elderly citizen of the city Rabeya Khatun, of Rokonpur at Pathan mahalla in Old Town of Dhaka, and of a shared Mughal-Pathan heredity, inaugurated the festival.
Expressing her delights in joining the celebration of 400 years of Dhaka, 93-year-old Rabeya urged the young generation of the city to ‘love Dhaka, save Dhaka’.
The Citizens’ Committee
to Celebrate 400 Years of
Dhaka is organising the two-year long programme in the capital with the theme ‘Buriganga is the heart of Dhaka; we will save it’.
The president of the committee, Kabir Chowdhury, said the aim of this festival is to recall the glorious past of the city as well as revive its history and tradition.
‘We want to save the ‘heart’ of the city Buriganga and restore its old beauty’, said Kabir.
He said Dhaka’s turning into 400 as a capital is a matter of pride for this generation.
Human rights activist Sultana Kamal said the River Buriganga was the glory for flourishing Dhaka as the capital and business centre.
She said the people are now more inclined to looking forward without keeping an eye on the past which is harmful to the history and tradition.
‘This is a crucial stage for the capital, and we now have to think about the past, present and future of Dhaka’, she said.
Children also took part in an art competition on ‘My dreams of Dhaka’ at the inaugural ceremony.
The second part of the day’s programme began at 6:00pm. Flying fanush (lightened balloon), performances of traditional music, kawali, kashida, and chutki were the major attractions.
Some elderly citizens were also awarded at the function.
As part of the celebration, various types of cultural shows, including month-long jatra, drama and film festivals, painting, photography and traditional dress exhibitions, musical performances, book fair, food festival, and light and sound show will be arranged throughout the next two years.
The organisers would also arrange national and international seminars on history, tradition and present problems of the capital and their solution, cultural, sports and debate competitions, boat and cycle races, kite flying and other traditional events in the next two years.
The convener of the festival, Sagar Lohani, said they would arrange some events in almost every month under the programme ‘Dhaka Amar Dhaka’.
A carnival where hundreds of people are expected to exhibit the history and culture of this oldest city through different performances would be held in November this year, he said.
Educationist Zillur Rahman Siddiqi, journalist Kamal Lohani, artist Hasem Khan, Q Sajjad A Chowdhury, among others, were present at the inauguration.
Source: New Age
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