The red sun of Pohela Boishakh rose with familiar fervour in Bangladesh on Monday, but it cast a new name across an old tradition.
The theme of this year’s Pohela Boisakh—“Nababarsh-er Oikotan, Fascibader Oboshan” (“The harmony of new year, end to fascism”) — spoke volumes, even as it danced to the tune of dhols and echoed through the city’s alleys.
At 9 am, Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Niaz Ahmed Khan led the procession. “We never held such a big arrangement before. We are grateful to all for making the Ananda Shobhajatra successful,” he said at a Dhaka University Journalists’ Association event, as quoted by Dhaka Tribune.
Across Dhaka University, the mood remained festive. Young men and women in vibrant sarees and panjabis danced through the lanes. Children rode Nagordolas and toy trains.
Cultural events rolled out across TSC, Bottala, and faculty areas.
Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad hosted a “Panta Bhoj” under the iconic Bottala tree.
Private university student Raju Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune: “This year’s new year celebration is a bit exceptional. It sends a message of ending fascism.”
DU student Nafisa Nuzhat added: “I could buy beautiful accessories at reasonable prices. Many vendors are offering discounts today.” Visitor Imran Hossain, attending with his family, said: “The festive atmosphere is really an uplifting one.”
This year’s Shobhajatra was as defiant as it was decorative. National motifs like the royal Bengal tiger and ilish were also present.
The University of Dhaka renamed the procession once known as Mongol Shobhajatra, a UNESCO-recognised emblem of unity, peace, and resistance Anondo Shobhajatra, restoring the original 1989 title: Barshabaran Ananda Shobhajatra.
The first parade in 1989 was called Ananda Shobhajatra, meaning a joyful procession. It was in 1996, after Sheikh Hasina came to power in Bangladesh, that “Mangal” was added.
The decision, announced at a press conference on 11 April at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University, followed an aggressive push from the conservative group Hefazat-e-Islam.
On April 10, Hefazat demanded a name change, calling Mongol Shobhajatra a “Hindu ritual” and asserting that the word “Mongol” had religious connotations inconsistent with Islamic values.
“Secularists never object to this, but are quick to target Islamic symbols under the pretext of neutrality,” the group claimed, adding: “In the name of ancient tradition, they have always acted as lobbyists for Mongol Shobhajatra.”
Hefazat went further to accuse the Faculty of Fine Arts of promoting what they called “secular cultural fascism” and alleged that the procession was “flooded with idols and imagery of Hindu deities and animals,” which they deemed unacceptable in a secular context.
Since its inception in 1989 by students and teachers of the Fine Arts Faculty, Mongol Shobhajatra has stood as an inclusive, secular answer to division, earning its status as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016.