A Mehendi Festival was organised for female students at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) under the slogan “Let the joy of Eid begin with the colours of mehendi.”

The event was arranged by energetic female students from six residential halls of the university with the patronage of branch Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) convener Agriculturist Md Atikur Rahman.

The programme was held at the university helipad on Friday (Mar 6).

As a special attraction, an online competition was organised on social media where participants posted photos of their mehendi designs on Facebook using a hashtag. Winners were selected based on the number of likes, comments and shares on the posts.

Besides, a coupon-based lottery was arranged for participants, where 10 lucky winners received prizes.

Tasmia Fairuz, a first-year student of the Faculty of Agriculture, said she was delighted to experience such a colourful event on campus.

“We are very happy to have such a beautiful festival on campus. There is a festive atmosphere all around. Through this mehendi festival, the joy of Eid has already arrived on campus. As a newcomer, it is truly a wonderful feeling to experience such an arrangement,” she said.

Patron of the event and branch JCD convener Md Atikur Rahman said, “In rural Bangladesh, people used to pick mehendi leaves from trees and apply them on their own hands or on those of their loved ones. But in today’s busy urban life, that beautiful tradition is gradually fading away. BAU has always played a special role in preserving tradition and culture. Through this initiative, we are trying to revive that tradition and enjoy it together.”

BAU JCD joint convener Anika Tabassum Khan said there are plans to organise similar programmes on a larger scale in the future.