The Mela continued from 3 pm to 9 pm at Jomffa Restaurant adjacent to the 300-foot Balu Bridge.
A vibrant décor gave the place a look perfect for the wintry reception along with the mouthwatering collection of pithas, courtesy of Zahira’s Nimontron, which the huge number of visitors relished.
The pitha collection included Chandpakon; famous Dhup pitha of Madaripur, Dudh Chitoi, Dudh Puli along with many traditional dishes. Another feature of the Mea was pitha being baked live at the different stalls.
Besides the food and beverage, there was a collection of clothing mainly Khadi and hand-painted sarees, shawls, ornaments with a set of collectibles from Jothashilpo, Raa, Sharbari and Kaktarua – the event’s co-hosts.
There also featured a drawing zone for the kids where the visitors’ children delighted themselves with colours on canvasses and the enjoyable country music set the beat for the fest.
Zahira Khanam, head of Zahira’s Nimontron and founder of Shohorbati, said this endeavor of hersstems solely from her personal hobby, which she started with a view to giving a traditional taste of Bangla Pitha culture to people.
“When my grandmother died the previous year, I felt that I should do something that could bring memories of her back to me. With that in mind I planned with my cousin for a small pitha festiva. That’s where all of it started,” she said to UNB.
She mentioned that this year they have kept other merchandise apart from the pitha and beverages so that visitors find diversity in the festival.
She thanked all the co-hosts, media partner UNB, and hoped that people will return again next year for more of her treats of traditional Bangladeshi pitha.
One visitor, Ehsanul Karim Kaisar, a textile engineer, lauded the event’s coziness and said it was an amusing experience for him.
Sadia Akter Shwarna, a student visiting the mela, shared her merriment with UNB and said the different features of the event apart from the food enchanted her most.
“We feasted on a diverse collection of pithas, some of the name we came to know for the first time today. Visiting stalls of souvenirs and dresses were a pleasant experience too,” she added.
The festival was presented by Shohorbati with co-hosts being Jothashipo, Sharbari, Raa and Kaktarua while United News of Bangladesh (UNB) was the media partner.