Mela on Nat’l Agriculture Day in Chapainawabganj

A ‘gombhira’ performance at the ‘mela.’Photo: STAR

A daylong 'mela' was held in Chapainawabganj amidst much festivity last Saturday. Different species of trees were on display at stalls set up by different government, private horticulture centres and NGO's at the Chapainawabganj Government College premises.
District administration and Department of Agriculture Extension jointly organised the fair that also included discussion, cultural programme and a procession to mark the National Agriculture Day.
Chapainawabganj Deputy Commissioner, Sirajul Haque Khan, attended the inaugural ceremony as chief guest. Shahjahan Ali, a farmer, chaired the event. Deputy Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Farhad Hossain; Mayor of Chapainawabganj Municipality, Ataur Rahman and Abdul Quddus, deputy director of AED spoke on the occasion. Among others, ADC Sultan Md. Abdul Hamid and ASP Mizanur Rahman were present at the discussion.
After the discussion, a culture programme featuring folk songs -- 'gombhira' and 'kobigaan' -- was held. 'Ha-do-do,' a traditional rural spore, was an added attraction at the fair. The fair and cultural programme, in particular, live performance of 'gombhira' songs -- a local tradition -- drew a huge crowd. Many hoped that such fairs would become a regular feature.
Earlier, a procession was brought out from the DC office premises with pushcarts and local musical instruments.