Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor today said the government would expand the traditional Mongol Shovajarta, a procession brought on the first day of Bengali New Year, at town and village levels to make the tradition more ceremonious and gorgeous.
"We are very proud as `Mangol Shovajatra` gets UNESCO recognition as world heritage. We will make the next year`s Pohela Boishakh celebration with more mirth and merriment marking the recognition," he said.The minister was addressing a function organized by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University under the initiative of Cultural Affairs Ministry on the faculty premises.Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique, Bangla Academy Director General Shamsuzzaman Khan, Fine Arts Faculty Dean Professor Sheikh Afjal Hossain and one of the organizers of Mangal Shovajatra Shaheed Ahmed Mifu addressed the function with Cultural Affairs Secretary Aktari Mamtaz in the chair.Noor said the government has a plan to organize Mangol Shovajatra at village levels so that the people throughout the country can become a part of the heritage.Describing the `Pahela Boishakh` a universal and non-communal festival of Bengali nation, the minister said, "We want to celebrate the festival with more pomp and grandeur to provide a strong message that Bangalee is a secular nation. Our culture is our asset".He said: "We want to stand before the world with our heads high as no bad element can snatch away our achievement".Professor Arefin said the recognition from UNESCO brings pride for the nation.Few teachers and students of Fine Arts Faculty had taken the initiative to organize `Mangol Shovajatra when anti-liberation force was in state power. It was strong protest against the ill force during the period, he said.UNESCO recognized the Bengali`s traditional Mangol Shovajatra on Pahela Boishakh (Bengali New Year) as a world heritage on November 30, 2016.In 1989, teachers and students of Fine Arts Faculty had organized the Mangol Shovajatra for the first time. In continuation of that, it becomes a major part of the celebration of Bengali New Year in the country.Source: BSS