A Celebration of Unity

A Celebration of Unity

Communalising culture

In school, we were made to memorise definitions of culture and civilisation, marking a relationship between the two.

The many shades of Boisabi

Pahela Baishakh is perhaps the sole festival that comes in every Bengali's life with a call to link the past with the present and welcome the New Year with rapturous rhythms of rejuvenation, vibrant colours and new hope. The time-honoured Bengali spirit of festivity and frolic is renewed again to hail the Bangla New Year 1424.

A playful affair

The first day of the Bangla New Year is mostly when lathikhela (stick dance and fight) is organised in rural areas. Nowadays, lathikhela

A festivity of syncretic traditions

Pahela Baishakh is not only the country's largest secular festival but also part of a global celebration. It's part of a universal festivity of the New Year across different cultures and religions.

The power of tolerance over bigotry

In the recent past, religious fundamentalists issued a fatwa against Pahela Baishakh celebrations, which is an integral part of our cultural heritage. Some even went to the extent of terming the celebrations haram. For a nation that has always cherished liberal religious beliefs, what could be the implications of such religious bigotry?

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