Dhaka [Bangaldesh], April 14 (ANI): In Bangladesh today, the celebration of the new Bengali year is being held through various festivals, performances, and different kinds of colorful events. From the morning, people across the country are welcoming the new year through various festive programs.

In the capital, Dhaka, among the main events is at Ramna Batamul, where in the ambiance of the cultural organization Chhayanaut, the famous song by Rabindranath Tagore, 'Esho Hey Boishakh, Esho Esho,' is performed to mark this day in the morning. Besides this, at Rabindra Sarobar in the capital, that is, in the Dhanmondi area, the Boishakhi Utsab (New Year) event begins with thousands of voices singing.

Among other places, the Charukola Institute of Dhaka University brings out the Boishakhi procession. This year, a slight change has been made to the traditional Mongol Shobhajatra, naming it the Boishakhi Shobhajatra. In Bangladesh's traditional calendar, the first month of the year is Boishakh, and the first day of Boishakh is called Pohela Boishakh. Thus, the New Year is celebrated by everyone as Pohela Boishakh.

This year, the Bengali new year 1433 has begun with this Pohela Boishakh celebration. In this regard, for the year 1433, among the various events, the name of the Mongol Shobhajatra has been changed again. The Mongol Shobhajatra is a UNESCO-recognized procession, through which people bid farewell to the inauspicious and welcome the auspicious. However, last year, the interim government in Bangladesh considered it somewhat communal and changed its name to Anondo Shobhajatra. This year, the newly elected government came in and changed the name back again to Boishakhi Shobhajatra. Through the Boishakhi Shobhajatra, this year, a broad spectrum of Bangladesh's heritage and cultural aspects is being celebrated.

'We are very proud to celebrate this occasion together. This is the only celebration where there is no discrimination based on religion, class, or anything else. We are all together to celebrate this. At the very early in the morning, with the new sunrise, we explore the new day with hope for a better future and better days ahead. It's a great day for us', Susan , an engineer, told ANI, standing at the premises of Bangladesh Institute of Fine Arts.

'We feel truly proud as Bengalis to celebrate this tradition. It's a culture, it's a tradition. This is not only limited to our culture and country; it has been broadcast throughout the whole world and universe. It's become a universal event because people all around the world know about Pohela Boishakh*, so we are very proud', she added.

'Our Bengali language, the language through which we gained international recognition through the Language Movement of 1952. We achieved, International Mother Language Day* through the sacrifices of Bengalis. In that regard, I must speak in Bengali today on Pohela Boishakh as a Bengali', Susan said.

On the occasion of the Bengali New Year, Pohela Boishakh, the President, Abdul Hamid, and the Prime Minister, Tarique Tahman, conveyed their greetings to the people. Various media outlets also promoted their special programs. (ANI)