{"id":32413,"date":"2017-04-15T06:19:01","date_gmt":"2017-04-15T06:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=32413"},"modified":"2017-04-16T01:07:07","modified_gmt":"2017-04-16T01:07:07","slug":"mongol-shobhajatra-calls-to-denounce-militancy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=32413","title":{"rendered":"Mongol Shobhajatra calls to denounce militancy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mongol-Shobhajatra_Zakir-21-690x450\"Mongol Shobhajatra is a protest against communal forces, says Asaduzzaman Noor<\/h2>\n
Hundreds of people have taken part in the colourful Mongol Shobhajatra procession,\u00a0welcoming Pohela Boishakh 1424 with a call to denounce militancy.<\/div>\n
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The Mongol Shobhajatra was brought out from the Dhaka University campus on Friday morning by\u00a0participants carrying masks and sculptures of flowers, birds, the sun and animals.<\/p>\n

With the slogan \u2018Anondoloke Mongolaloke Biraj Satyasundor\u2019, this year\u2019s Mongol Shobhajatra urged Bangladeshis to shun militancy.<\/p>\n

The procession, organised by the Faculty of Fine Arts like previous years, prominently featured a sun at the front.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sun stands for our call to come to the light shunning the darkness,\u201d Fine Arts Dean Prof Nisar Hossain said. \u201cMilitancy wants to drag us into the darkness. This time, we are calling for people to ignore the call of darkness and look towards light.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unesco last year recognised the Mongol Shobhajatra as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.<\/p>\n

It said that the Mongol Shobhajatra \u201csymbolises the pride of the people of Bangladesh in their living heritage, as well as their strength and courage to fight sinister forces, and their vindication of truth and justice\u201d.<\/p>\n

Various religion-based parties and organisations have been demanding a stop to the procession, dubbing it \u201canti-Islamic\u201d.<\/p>\n

Taking part in Friday\u2019s procession, Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor said Noboborsho is the main festival of Bengalis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis colourful and enthusiastic programme is a protest against the communal forces and to welcome the new year,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cThe massive turnout at the procession means that Bengalis are not scared of any threat from any party or group\u201d.<\/p>\n

DU Vice Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique said that the attendance of general people at the procession proved that they did not believe in segregation and communalism.<\/p>\n

The Mongol Shobhajatra was first organised in 1985 in Jessore and has been replicated in Dhaka since 1989, featuring colourful masks, carnival floats of birds and animals, and other motifs of Bangladeshi culture.<\/p>\n

Over the years, it has become a key element of the Pohela Boishakh celebrations.<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s recognition by Unesco added more colour to the festival. Businessman Parvez Hossain joined in Mongol Shobhajatra with his son and wife, all clad in traditional dresses.<\/p>\n

Computer Engineer Mizanur Rahman\u00a0came to Dhaka from Narayanganj to join the procession.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to be part of history. This is the first Mongol Shobhajatra after it was recognised by Unesco,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

With Dhaka Metropolitan Police deploying 11,000 policemen onto the streets of the capital on Friday,\u00a0revellers said they were satisfied with security measures and had been\u00a0encouraged to take part in the procession without any fear thanks to the heightened security.<\/p>\n

The carrying of bags and wearing of masks were not allowed.<\/p>\n

Special police teams have also been deployed at Ramna Batamul, Suhrawardy Udyan, DU and adjacent areas to prevent any kind of sexual harassment, mugging and other criminal activities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mongol Shobhajatra is a protest against communal forces, says Asaduzzaman Noor Hundreds of people have taken part in the colourful Mongol Shobhajatra procession,\u00a0welcoming Pohela Boishakh 1424 with a call to denounce militancy. The Mongol Shobhajatra was brought out from the Dhaka University campus on Friday morning by\u00a0participants carrying masks and sculptures of flowers, birds, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":32414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12,2],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n