An Ordinary Citizen

Ist day of Bangla new year of 1416 is observed. To celebrate the occassion, many programes of different nature and at different places were observed. Chayanat organised the day long musical events at Ramna which was telecasted live by Channel-Eye.Fine Arts students of DU parraded the city roads with colourful fastoons and placards. Other channels also telecasted programs from different sites of the country. M A Muhith, Minister for Finance in a reply to a question says that the days programs depicted the richness of our culture, sometimes we deviate, but this is the true self of us.

We have a culture which has a precise sense of limit and beauty. A greater part of our songs is of Tagore’s have a soft musical tune and spiritual flavour. Most of our folk songs are spiritual in nature where the pain and sorrow are enterwined with the longing for the almighty.

The band songs of our newer generation though initially were light in words and mood, later many of them become thoughtful and some even try for fusion of our folksongs and bandsongs.

The festival was participated by young and old alike. Many foriengners also enjoyed the Ist day celebration and appreciated the total mood of the day.

Someone was alleging that we are only enthusiatic in observing the Pahela Baishak. This is actually not true, you can’t observe festival everyday of the year, but traits of culture would be expressed in your everyday living. It is not true that we are Bangali for a day in the year, we are Bangali throughout the year in our works and deeds, in our cloths and behaviour.

Sometimes people become confused relating religion to culture. Religion is also an important contributing factor to culture. Many of our trends have been changed due to influence of the religion. The religion have been changed in the line of history in this belt of Ganges. The greater culture of this locality accomodated the religion and molded the livelihood of the people accordingly.

When one says, he is a Bangali, one tries to portray himself/herself as secular. It is not necessarily so. To be Bengali, you needn’t to be secular. In our personal life, religion has its own influence and one can’t deny it. Most people will not, as these people will observe with full enthusiasm the Eid or Durga Puja when it comes.

I personally enjoyed the Baishak with my family and a child and went to Mela, enjoyed the cultural function ( thrilled by seeing a snake dance) and attended a family dinner with baishakhi dishes.

An ordinary citizen