A three-day festival to commemorate the 129th death anniversary of Baul Samrat Lalon Shah, the most prominent figure in Bangladesh's baul tradition, will start today.
The Lalon Academy and Kushtia district administration have jointly organized the festival with the Cultural Ministry's assistance.
Mahbubul Alam Hanif, the Kushtia sadar MP, will inaugurate the festival in the evening.
Lalon died on the first day of the Bangla month of Kartik in 1297, at the age of 116. He was laid to rest beside the Kaliganga River. Since then, fans and disciples of Lalon gather around his cemetery at Chheuriya to pay their homage to Lalon. People from all over the country and abroad come to Lalon’s shrine.
Businessmen have set up makeshift shops around the cemetery to sell products like food items and musical instruments. Lalon has secured a unique position in the history of traditional music for his humanitarian songs, blending philosophies of different devotional traditions.
Superintendent of Kushtia police (SP) SM Tanvir Arafat told Dhaka Tribune: “The whole area has been brought under CCTV camera surveillance. We hope there will not be any problem.”
Kushtia Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Aslam Hossain, said: “ We are prepared for the festival already, and RAB and Police will be there throughout the festival to ensure the highest security.”
