Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla New year, is being celebrated with great enthusiasm and in a universal festive mood on Friday. The celebration started with Mangal Shobhajatra, headed by DU Vice Chancellor Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman at 9:00 am. The rally was brought out from the Fine Arts faculty of the university and moved around the campus. State Minister for Culture KM Khalid participated in the procession. "Bengali New Year 1430 has appeared with a message of hope and success. Mangal Shobhajatra is our cultural heritage. It is listed in the UNESCO heritage list too. Our struggle for freedom started through cultural movement," said the VC. He said, "The procession is a cultural tradition of the Bengalees. Now it belongs to thr World Heritage. Thus, this cultural heritage belongs to the international community too." "It is a great resource for every person in the world. It is our collective responsibility of all to maintain, preserve and spread it among all. And it reflects inclusive vision and philosophy," he said. "It is a humanitarian and non-sectarian call against all forms of extremism," he added. The two main motifs in this year's rally are child in the mother's lap and blue bull (Nilgai). As the child is safe in the mother's arms there is symbolically the message of global peace. Apart from this, Nilgai has been kept as a symbol of endangered and lost animals. Apart from this, four other motifs have been displayed in the procession. They are tiger, peacock, sheep and deer. Personnel from special security forces ensured the security of Mangal Shovazatra by providing end-to-end protocol to the rally. "You know there have been threats, a lawyer has even filed a case in the High Court to stop the Mangal Shobhajatra. From that point of view, we took every possible measure to ensure the safety," said state minister Khalid. Though the students of the fine arts faculty prepared the festive masks of owls for the Pahela Baishakh celebration, the masks were prohibited to use due to security reasons. To ensure security, movement of all kinds of vehicles except stickered vehicles of DU have been restricted in the campus area. The Suhrawardy Udyan gate near TSC will also be locked till the evening of the first day of Bangla New Year but the gate near Ramana Kali mandir, Bangla Academy, Engineering Institute and Chobir hat gate of Suhrawardy Udyan Will be open for the visitors. Visitors can only enter the campus till 5 pm today then the area will be locked and no one can enter the campus after the specified time but they can exit.  

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Director General M Khurshid Hossain today (Thursday, April 13, 2023) said the letter threatening attack on Mangal Shobhajatra was sent to a Fine Arts Institute’s student to create panic and it is not a threat from militants. “The letter was sent to create panic. It has nothing to do with politics,” he said while talking to reporters at the Ramna Batamul in the capital after inspecting the security arrangements at the venue for the Bangla New Year celebrations on Friday. Read more: Pohela Boishakh: Mangal Shovajatra to be arranged with global perspectives in mind this year Regarding the security for Pahela Baishakh celebrations, he said  the Rab commando team is ready to deal with any kind of situation that may arise, as well as each Rab battalion has started special intelligence surveillance across the country.

The Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul celebrated the Bangla New Year 1429 with great fervour and festivity Sunday at the Eunpyeong Culture and Arts Centre in Seoul. Wearing colourful clothes, more than 300 Bangladeshi nationals living in South Korea joined the event with their families. The auditorium of the centre was decorated with colourful banners, festoons, balloons and decorative items and Bangladeshi handicraft items were displayed at the entrance. The main attraction of the event was a Mangal Shobhajatra, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) cultural heritage. People – with colourful dresses, banners, festoons, masks and traditional musical instruments – cheerfully marched the street. In the cultural segment, the embassy officials, their families, and expatriate Bangladeshis sang "Esho He Boishakh" to greet the Bangla New Year. They performed poetry recitations, folk songs, and dances. Different indoor games were also arranged for children and women. Bangladesh Ambassador to South Korea Delwar Hossain handed out prizes to the winners. The guests were served panta-ilish and different smashed items and sweetmeats.

In dispelling the confusion being spread about the mega projects being implemented in the country Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday reaffirmed that her government remains cautious so the loans don’t become a burden. “Once these (mega) projects are implemented, the face of our economy will change. We’re taking loans from domestic and foreign sources. However, we’ve a careful eye so that they do not become a burden,” she said in an address to the nation on the eve of Pahela Boishakj, the Bangla New Year’s Day. The address was telecast live by Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar and also private TV channels. The nation is set to celebrate the Pahela Boishakh-1429 on Thursday amid traditional cultural festivities. Also read: Govt to build cultural centre at each upazila to promote art and culture: PM About the mega projects, Sheikh Hasina said the Padma Bridge is being constructed with own funds as no loan was taken. Other mega projects were undertaken through economic studies by local and foreign experts. And many projects are being implemented on the basis of foreign partnerships. “Our main goal is to accelerate economic activities, create employment, increase resources and make the lifestyle of people easier through infrastructure development,” she said. The prime minister said 2022 and 2023 will be milestones for Bangladesh in terms of infrastructure development. The much-desired Padma Bridge will come into operation in just a few months. The bridge is expected to contribute 1.2 per cent to GDP, she said. She said the Metrorail will be launched on the 14-km Uttara-Agargaon route by the end of this year. It is expected to bring a revolutionary change in the transport system in the capital, she added. The country's first underwater tunnel, Karnaphuli River Tunnel in Chattogram, will be opened in October next, said Hasina.

A Bangladeshi artist and developer teamed up with the support of Facebook to develop an Augmented Reality (AR) filter for Bangla New Year. This vibrant AR effect gave people the opportunity to welcome the Bangla New Year online and share the festivities with friends and family without leaving their homes, said a media release on Thursday. Also read:Facebook acknowledges a bug that blocked coronavirus news The social media platform supports local creators from around the world. This is the first AR filter that Facebook has helped create for Bangladesh in collaboration with local talent. Young developer Ishrat Urmi and artist Arafat Karim worked together to design and build the effect with emblems of Pohela Boishakh - mongol jatra, masks, and face paint in Bangla. Urmi is a member of the Facebook Developer Circle in Bangladesh, a community of innovators who receive opportunities from Facebook to develop their skills and network with developer communities from other countries. Post and Telecommunications Minister  Mustafa Jabbar posted a video on his Facebook page and congratulated Facebook and the creators for this innovative initiative. The AR effect has been used and shared by many, including popular celebrities like Jaya Ahsan, Tahsan Khan, and Sabnam Faria. Also read:Facebook working on Instagram for kids under 13 Facebook family of apps connect people around the world and help them observe and participate in cultural moments no matter where they are.  As COVID-19 cases spike in Bangladesh and people stay at home, online platforms and virtual sharing can help foster a sense of community and help people stay together while apart.

The Embassy of Bangladesh in Brussels has virtually celebrated the Bangla New Year 1428 in advance with the participation of more than eight thousand Bengali and foreign guests from Europe and different corners of the world. Singer Nobonita Chowdhury performed songs from different regions and genres of the country in the event held on Monday, said the Embassy of Bangladesh in Brussels on Tuesday. She rendered songs including Rabindra, Nazrul and Lalon Sangeet, songs of Hasan Raja, Vijay Sarkar, and Bhawaiya, which showcased the richness of Bengali songs to the world. There was a narration in English by the singer on the theme and background of each song for foreign guests.

Law Minister Anisul Huq on Tuesday conveyed Pahela Baishakh greetings to all and hoped that the next Bangla new year will be celebrated in the country free of coronavirus.