Chhayanaut cancels Ramna Batamul event
Cultural troupe Chhayanaut has cancelled their celebration of "Pahela Baishakh", the first day of the Bangla year 1427, at Ramna Batamul considering safety of artistes as well as countrymen from the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bengali new year falls on April 14.
Chhayanaut, one of the leading cultural organisations of the country, has been holding the celebration since 1967. This is for the first time since the country's Liberation War that the organisation is not holding their programme at Ramna.
People from all walks of life usually join the programme in thousands, held at the capital's Ramna from dawn.
"We have decided not to hold the programme at Ramna Batamul as people are panicked over coronavirus, and for the sake of safety of artistes performing there as well as general people," executive president of Chhayanaut Sarwar Ali told The Daily Star yesterday evening.
He said that Chhayanaut has also decided to donate the fund of arranging the programme to its relief fund.
Over the decades, Chhayanut's programme, that had begun in erstwhile East Pakistan as a protest against the cultural domination of the Pakistan millitary regime, has become synonymous with Pahela Baishakh celebrations.
"The major aim of Chhayanat's programmes is to awaken humanity among people and society," Sarwar Ali added.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed all to celebrate Pahela Baishakh "digitally" without creating any mass gatherings, in line with the government's "stay-at-home" guideline.
"You can celebrate the Pahela Baishakh digitally as much as you want. But celebration by creating mass gatherings must be stopped," she added.
The premier said this while exchanging views on the country's coronavirus situation with public representatives and field level government officials through videoconference from her official Ganabhaban residence.
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