Ashar welcomed with a call to green the Earth

Barsha Utsab, the festival welcoming the monsoon and marking the first day of the Bangla month “Ashar”, was celebrated across the country on Sunday with a renewed call to make the world greener.

Various cultural organisations observed the day with a range of programmes.

The Barsha Utsab Udjapon Parishad organised its “Barsha Utsab 1432” celebration at “Bakultala” on the Dhaka University campus, while “Udichi Shilpi Gosthi” held its event at “Nazrul Mancha” in the Bangla Academy premises in the capital.

The programme by Barsha Utsab Udjapon Parishad commenced with a sitar recital of “Raag Ahir Bhairav” by artiste Sohani Majumdar.

The event featured a rich array of performances, including music, dance, recitation, and storytelling, presented in succession. Artistes performed songs in celebration of the monsoon.

Yasmin Mushtari performed “Rimjhim ghan ghan re borshe”, Salauddin Ahmed sang “Borsha elo oi borsha”, and Bijon Chandra Mistri rendered “Shaon asilo phire, she phire elona”. Nabonita Zaid Chowdhury performed “Shyama tanwi ami megh borona”, while Anima Roy presented “Badol diner prothom kadam phool”.

Shama Rahman sang “Megher pore megh jomechhe andhar pore ashe”, and Mokbul Hossain performed “Abar eshechhe Asharh akash chheye”. Ferdousi Kakoli presented “Gohon rate shrabon dhara”, while Biman Chandra Biswas sang the folk number “Ashar maishya bhasha pani re”. Shraboni Guha Roy concluded the musical segment with the well-known song “Kejaas re bhati gang baiya”.

Poetry recitations were delivered by Nayla Taranunnum Chowdhury Kakoli and Ahsan Ullah Tamal. The group “Shilpobritto” presented a vibrant collage of recitation, music, and dance.

Addressing the gathering, Manzar Chowdhury Sweet, general secretary of the Barsha Utsab Udjapon Parishad, said, “The conflict between the arrogance of civilisation and the generosity of nature poses a threat to human existence. Today, nature demands sensitivity and empathy from humankind. There is no path to salvation except through fostering harmony between human life and the natural world.”

Meanwhile, Udichi’s Barsha Utsab celebrations began at 7:30 am at “Nazrul Mancha” of the Bangla Academy.

The keynote speaker at the event was Amirul Rajib, Coordinator of the “Bangladesh Tree Protection Movement”.

Musical performances were presented by Udichi’s central cultural troupe, the music group “Mavoi”, and renowned artistes including Mahadev Ghosh, Priyanka Gope, Tuhin Kanti Das, Hridik Jahan, Sushmita Kirtaniya, Musa Kalim, Mithila Ghosh, and Mayesha Sultana Urbi.

Dance performances were offered by members of Udichi, as well as Adrita Anwar Prokriti, a student from the 54th batch of the Department of Drama and Dramatics at Jahangirnagar University, and the dance troupe “Spondon”.

Udichi General Secretary Jamshed Anwar Tapan stated, “Under the guise of development, the environment and nature in our country are being subjected to aggressive exploitation. Forests and ecosystems are being destroyed. This year’s Barsha Utsab has been organised as a vocal protest against such destruction.”

Several demands were raised during the festival. These included: a halt to all development projects that destroy natural ecosystems; cancellation of the elevated expressway’s connecting road through Dhaka’s “Panthakunja Park”; restoration of the navigability of rivers, “haors”, and other water bodies, along with the removal of all encroachments.

Further demands included intensifying diplomatic efforts to stop India’s unilateral withdrawal of water, scrapping environmentally harmful projects, ensuring housing and livelihoods for nearly one crore people displaced by climate change, and introducing a rationing system to guarantee food security for farmers and working-class individuals who lose employment during the monsoon.

The programme concluded at 11:30am with a vibrant showcase of dance, music, recitation, and reflections on the spirit of the monsoon.