The nation is all set to welcome the Bangla new year 1422 tomorrow (Tuesday) through Pohela Boishakh celebration.

People from all walks of life will throng different popular and historic spots at dawn in the capital and elsewhere across the country to hail the New Year 1422 with new hopes and aspirations for a better, peaceful year.

Thousands of people will gather to traditional venues at different parts of the capital, including Ramna Park, Suhrawardy Udyan, Central Shaheed Minar, Dhaka University, Shahbagh and Dhanmondi Lake areas, to welcome the New Year amid pageantry.

Artistes from Chhayanaut will welcome the day with Rabindranath Tagore’s famous song ‘Esho hey Baishakh, esho, esho under the banyan tree at the Ramna Park.

Students of the Institute of Fine Arts of Dhaka University, wearing colourful masks, will take out a ‘mangal shobhajatra (procession of good wishes)’ in the morning as part of the festival.

Men, wome and children wearing panjabi-pyjama, sari and clourful dresses will throng traditional Baishakhi Melas (fairs) and other cultural functions in the city and elsewhere in the country.

Different socio-cultural organisations have chalked out elaborate programmes to celebrate the day. Bangla Academy, Shilpakala Academy and Nazrul Institute will organise separate cultural programmes to welcome the New Year.

President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia have issued separate messages greeting the country’s people as well as all Bangla-speaking people across the  globe on the occasion.

In his message, the President said fairs organised on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh play a special role in creating amity and friendship among people alongside bolstering the national economy.

“The Bangla New Year brings the messages of unalloyed pleasure and  strengthen our unity in all aspects of our national life by  forgetting all the past conflicts and ignominies,” Hamid added.

In her message, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that the  exercise of Bangla culture on Pahela Baishakh will flourish the  nationhood. “It’ll give us strength to create a resistance against communalism, religious dogmatism and militancy.”

NS