DHAKA: People from all stratums of life are ready to celebrate the first day of Bangla calendar ‘Pahela Baishakh’, featuring different cultural functions with colorful decoration to welcome Bangla New Year 1422 with much enthusiasm.

The day is a public holiday.

Different traditional venues across the country, including Dhaka have already got a festive look with colorful decoration on the occasion of celebrating ‘Naba Barsha’ or the New Year.

To welcome the Bangla New Year, different socio-cultural organizations and government institutions have chalked out various programs like music functions, colorful processions and street-side Baishakhi fairs in the capital as well as elsewhere the country.

Meanwhile, businesspeople especially in the rural areas are ready with their traditional ‘halkhata’ to welcome the New Year.

As in the previous years, special supplements will be published in national dailies upholding the significance of Pahela Baishakh.

Besides, Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar will air special programs highlighting the spirit of the New Year.

Programs of the day will begin in Dhaka with the soiree of Chhayanaut, a leading cultural organization of the country, at Ramna Batamul at dawn.

Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and other private TV channels will broadcast ‘Chhayanaut" program live.

City people will start the day with the traditional breakfast of 'panta bhat' (soaked rice), green chilies, onion, and fried hilsa fish at Ramna Park, Suhrawardy Udyan, Dhaka University campus, Rabindra Sarabar in Dhanmondi and other open places.

Fine arts faculty of Dhaka University (DU) will bring out a colorful procession called ‘Mangal Shobhajatra’ from the campus with decorative replicas of animals as well as elements of Bangla culture.

Moreover, local administrations will organize different programs including discussions, cultural functions and "Baishakhi Mela" across the country.

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy will organize a three-day function to mark the day while Bangladesh Shishu Academy, Bangla Academy, the Department of Public Library, Bangladesh National Museum, Dhaka University, cultural institutes of the different indigenous people will celebrated the day by organizing cultural functions.

Improved diet will be provided at all the jails, hospitals and orphanage centers on the occasion of Bangla New Year.

All museums will remain open on the day so that students and physically challenged children could visit them without tickets. All the educational institutions across the country will celebrate the New Year with their own arrangement.

Bangladesh missions abroad will organize separate programs to mark the day.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Sunday assured of foolproof security throughout Dhaka ahead of Pahela Baishakh celebrations.

Additional forces of police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and plainclothes from intelligence agencies will remain alert at Ramna Batamul, Dhaka University campus and Rabindra Sarabar areas to make the effort a success.

However, celebrations of Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangla Calendar Year, started from Emperor Akbar's reign when it was customary to clear up all dues on the last day of Bangla month Chaitra with businessmen opening ‘halkhata’ or new book of accounts in their shops.

On the second day the Bangla New Year, President Abdul Hamid will accord reception to the leading writers, poets, litterateurs, cultural personalities and intellectuals, who conferred with the Ekushey and Independence awards, at the Bangabhaban.

BDST: 1603 HRS, APR 13, 2015
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