12th Traditional Khulna Boat Race to be held

The 12th Traditional Khulna Boat Race on the Rupsha River will be held on October 14, Saturday. Khulna Nogor Samajik O Sangskritik Kendra (NSSK) and Grameenphone are jointly organising the competition at No 1 custom dock where 32 teams in three groups will participate. The announcement was made during a press conference in Khulna on Tuesday. Following the inauguration programme at 2pm, the race will start at 2:30pm. Three groups will be divided according to the size of the boats. The winning team of the large boat group will receive Tk1 lakh, and first runners-up and second runners-up will win Tk60,000 and Tk30,000 respectively. The smaller boats have been categorised into two groups. Winners in each group will receive Tk50,000. with the first runners-up and second runners-up of both group receiving Tk30,000 and Tk20,000 respectively. Describing the significance of the event, Grameenphone's Head of Khulna Business Circle Mohammad Mollah Nafiz Imtiaz said: "This event is a symbol of tradition and element of unity. "If we revive our local traditions this way, it will create a legacy for generations to come," he added. NSSK General Secretary Md Maniruzzaman Rahim said Bangladeshis hardly remember the river-based lifestyle as Bangladesh is losing her rivers due to water pollution. The boat race is an initiative to carry forward the river culture to the next generation, he added. Grameenphone's Head of Khulna Business Circle Mohammad Mollah Nafiz Imtiaz, Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee, Grameenphone's Head of Marketing Khulna Business Circle, NSSK President Molla Maruf Rashid, NSSK General Secretary Md Maniruzzaman Rahim, NSSK Chief Advisor Sheikh Ashraf Uz Zaman along with other officials of the the organisation were present at the ceremony.