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 nation is set to celebrate Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla calendar, on Thursday amid festivities and full enthusiasm after two years of hiatus caused by the Covid pandemic. The festivities will begin at dawn with the artistes from Chhayanaut welcoming the day with Tagore’s famous song ‘Esho hey Baishakh, esho, esho (come O Baishakh, come)’ under the banyan tree at the Ramna Park. True to their centuries old tradition, people from all walks of life will throng different popular and historic spots in the capital and elsewhere across the country to welcome the Bangla New Year, 1429 with new hopes and aspirations for a better, peaceful year. However, as Pahela Baishakh will be celebrated during the holy month of Ramadan, the festivities have been scaled down. Dhaka University is all set to welcome the Bengali New Year with the vibrancy and festivity. Regarded as the educational and socio-cultural hub of the country, Dhaka University and its Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA), better known as Charukala, have taken preparations to observe this year’s Pahela Baishakh. As this year’s Pahela Baishakh is knocking on the door to be celebrated with great enthusiasm after an unfortunate two-year break with restrictions on public gatherings and celebrations of public programmes in 2020 and 2021, this year the DU authority alongside its teachers and students has geared up to welcome the return of the festivities in the campus arena. Also read: RAB on alert to make Pahela Baishakh festival smooth and safe: DG Traditionally, every year Dhaka University celebrates this national function with festive traits by arranging different sorts of functions including the colourful procession called the “Mangal Shobhajatra” (March of Good Tidings). The flagship procession was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016. According to the DU authority, this year's “Mangal Shobhajatra” will start from the university's Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) premises at 9 am. The procession will be brought out from the Sarak Deep area of the TSC, as the road in front of the FFA has been narrowed due to the ongoing construction work of Metro Rail.

The Dhaka University (DU) authorities has announced a roadmap to celebrate Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bengali New Year, with traditional 'Mangal Shobhajatra' on April 14 after a two- year break. The flagship procession from Dhaka University’s Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA) which was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016, was not held in 1427 due to the emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic, and the FFA organized a symbolic procession on its premises in the following year due to lockdown during the period. Read:Sights, sounds of Pahela Baishakh to return to Ramna after two years The details regarding this year's celebration were announced in a meeting chaired by DU Vice Chancellor Prof Akhtaruzzaman, held at the Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate building on Sunday. At the meeting, it was announced that this year's 'Mangal Shobhajatra' will start from the university's Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) premises at 9 am. The procession will be brought out from the Sarak Deep area of the TSC as the road in front of the FFA has been narrowed due to the ongoing construction work of Metro Rail. After parading the 'Memory Eternal' monument premises of the university, the Shobhajatra will end at TSC premises on the campus. The meeting committee also announced that the festivity must be concluded within 5 pm and public entrance would be restricted on the campus area after that. Evaluating the present context of COVID-19 in the country as well as the month of Holy Ramadan, the authorities requested the citizens to limit the public gatherings in this year's procession. Alongside requesting everyone to maintain proper hygiene, the authorities announced that festive masks and bags cannot be carried on campus. However, masks made by the Faculty of Fine Arts can be carried. Furthermore, it was declared that playing and selling of the Vuvuzela flute at this year's event will be strictly prohibited. On the day of Pahela Baishakh, movement of the procession-goers and others via the gate of Suhrawardy Udyan behind the Raju sculpture will be restricted. However, the FFA entrance in front of the Suhrawardy Udyan, the adjoining gate of the Engineering Institute and the entrance of Suhrawardy Udyan in front of the Bangla Academy will remain open for the citizens.  Vehicles without DU authorized stickers will not be allowed on campus after 7 pm on April 13, as well as on the day of the Pahela Baishakh. Residents on the campus area can use the road to Nilkhet and Palashi intersection for their transportation using their own vehicles. The committee requested police to install CCTV cameras and archways on the campus to ensure the security inside the campus area during the festivities. Read:Longest-running Amar Ekushey Book Fair ends; Tk52.50 crore books sold Mobile public toilets will be set up in the area adjacent to Haji Muhammad Muhsin Hall, the area adjacent to TSC (Student-Teacher Center) the area around Doyel Chattar and Curzon Hall, the committee said at the meeting. Now cemented as one of the most vivid and significant additions to the Bengali New Year celebration in the country, the DU Faculty of Fine Arts have been celebrating the traditional 'Mangal Shobhajatra' since 1989.

Considering the upsurge in the country's Covid-19 situation, Dhaka University has formally called off the Mangal Shobhajatra, or March of Good Tidings, a colourful procession at dawn to usher in the Bengali New Year on the University campus. Also read: Pahela Baishakh celebrated without outdoor programmes The university authorities circulated the decision in a press release issued by its public relations office. Students of DU Fine Arts have been organising Mangal Shobhajatra since 1989. The colourful procession, which even made into UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016, has become a signature event of Pahela Baishakh celebration in Bangladesh. Also read: Next Pahela Baishakh celebration in COVID-19 free Bangladesh: Minister Every year, the procession centres on a theme relevant to the country's sociocultural milieu. It usually features various animal-shaped carnival floats, large colourful masks, replicas of birds, butterflies, traditional dolls and other motifs of Bangladeshi culture that highlight the traditional folklore of Bangladesh. Also read: A colourless Pahela Baishakh