Preparations for the upcoming Pahela Baishakh 2013 are going on in full swing as the first day of the Bangla month ‘Boishakh’ will be celebrated on April 14.
This year’s Mangal Shobha Jatra strives to symbolically represent people’s struggle against evil forces to establish a modern and liberal nation, said the organisers.The grand procession will start at 9:00am.
A programme coordinator and student of sculpture of Dhaka University fine arts faculty, Shimul Datta, said the monstrous dragon exhaling fire seems out to burn and destroy everything the country achieved through decades.
During the procession, a 40-foot spiteful dragon will be placed on a 40-foot wooden frame installed on a hand-pulled cart.
Shimul said the dragon does not belong to this country; it is from somewhere else.
There will also be some other artefacts — jora pakhi, crazy ox, rickshaws, crocodiles, flying birds, warrior on elephant’s back, horses, tiger chasing war criminals and clenched hand to express present political situation, Bengali culture and tradition.
On faculty premises, the students were seen working on paintings, traditional dolls, masks and musket.
The prices of paintings range from Tk 500 to Tk 15,000, while prices of painted ‘sora’ (a clay pot decorated with paintings of animals) start at Tk 150-500.
Paper birds costs Tk 30-100, masks Tk 500-1,000, Raja-Rani masks Tk 5,000-15,000, dolls Tk 50-200, pakha Tk 100, t-shirts Tk 250, elephants and horses at Tk 50-200.
Drawing and painting department student Meera said though the 12th batch was leading the preparations, all students and even former students as well as teachers of the faculty were joining the preparations.
Zainul Shishu Niketan, also known as School Ghar at the faculty, will also be decorated with colourful paintings of birds, elephants, horses and other animals, she said.
The cost for doing all these is generated from the sale of art-works, clay pots, masks, show pieces, paintings and watercolors from the beginning of April, said programme coordinator Shimul.
He called upon all to buy artifacts and masks as sales were not good this year due to political turmoil.
On April 13 evening, there will be a ‘Chaitra Sankranti’ programme at Bakultala where the students will perform cultural programme.
-With New Age input
