With the theme “Esho Mili Shobey Nabanner Utshabey”, Nabanna Utshab – 1421 (late-autumnal festival) was held yesterday at Bakultala, Faculty of Fine Arts on Dhaka University campus.
Nabanna or “the festival of new harvest” is celebrated by rural people across the country during the Bangla month of Agrahayan.
Jatiyo Nabanna Utshab Udjapan Parshad (JNUUP) has been holding the festival in Dhaka since 1999.
Traditionally poets, painters, musicians, bauls and people from all walks of life come together at this festival. A big attraction of the celebration is food. Nabanna Mela (fair) is generally held in the countryside.
The festival that is celebrated by diverse communities brings a smile to hard-working farmers of Bangladesh.
Nabanna Utshab in Dhaka was celebrated with great enthusiasm. Language Movement veteran Ahmad Rafiq inaugurated the festival.
Convener of the festival, Shahriar Salam delivered the welcome address, while Ekram Ahmed, chairman of Public Service Commission and many others spoke at the programme. Laila Hasan, chairperson of JNUUP presided over the inaugural ceremony.
The daylong programme featured solo and choral rendition of folk songs, songs composed by Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam, group dance performances, recitation, and a colourful rally that circled Teachers’ and Students’ Centre.
Children distributed muri, murki and khoi among the audience.
The programme began in the morning with classical flute recital by Murtaja Kabir Murad. Artistes of Rabindra Sangeet Sammilan Parishad presented a choral song “Choron Nimney Utshabmoyi”, composed by Rajanikanta Sen. Folk singer Abu Bakar Siddique soulfully rendered “Mone Sadh Loy”.
Artistes of Udichi and Satyen Sen Shilpi Goshthi performed choral songs while artistes of Nataraj, Bhabna, Spondon, Bangladesh Academy of Fine Arts and Nandan Kalakendra with indigenous Marma artistes danced to folk and traditional songs.
Bangladesh has an age-old cultural heritage. This rich tradition was on the verge of oblivion in the cities of Bangladesh. The celebration of Nabanna begins soon after harvest. There is joy everywhere, the children frisk in the yard as the cattle go round and round threshing the paddy, separating it from the stalks.
The festival gave city dwellers a unique opportunity to spend their weekly holiday joyously. Many came with their families to connect the new generation to their cultural roots.
Visitors had the opportunity to enjoy many rural delicacies like pitha, muri, khoi, kheer sold at small stalls at the venue. City dwellers also had a taste of traditional delicacies.
In the evening the audience enjoyed baul songs, poetry recitation and dance.