All educational institutions asked to bring out Mongol Shobhajatra

The government has made it compulsory for all educational institutions to bring out Mongol Shobhajatra, the Bangla New Year procession. The decision was taken in a recent inter-ministerial meeting. The meeting decided to celebrate Pohela Boishakh in the school and colleges in a befitting manner. Following the decision, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education issued a directive on March 16. According to the directive, the heads of all institutions under the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education have been asked to celebrate Pohela Boishakh with due importance.

Also Read- Mongol Shobhajatra inscribed in Unesco cultural heritage list

The Unesco in November last year recognised Mongol Shobhajatra as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The colourful annual festivities was inscribed in Unesco’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the 11th session of the Inter-governmental Committee on Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. The Unesco committee agreed that Mongol Shobhajatra “symbolises the pride of the people of Bangladesh in their living heritage as well as their strength and courage to fight sinister forces, and their vindication of truth and justice.” A joyful procession of hundreds featuring large colourful masks, animal-shaped life sized carnival floats and other motifs of Bangladeshi culture, Mongol Shobhajatra was the brain child of three students of Dhaka Fine Arts Institute, now the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Dhaka University – Mahabub Jamal Shamim, Moklesur Rahman and Heronmay Chanda. Inspired by a similar procession that had taken place in Jessore in 1985, the trio along with their classmates and friends first brought out the procession in 1989, which over the years spread countrywide and became an integral part of Bangali culture. Since then, the DU Fine Arts Faculty has been organising Mongol Shobhajatra every year in Dhaka, which is attended by not only the students and teachers of the university, but also thousands of people from all walks of life.