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Hello from Bangladesh again!
Lalbagh Kella
We visited Lalbagh Kella. It is
a historical construction of the fortress started in 1678-79 by
Prince Muhammed Azam (third son of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb), and
was continued by the next viceroy, Shaista Khan. It is located near
the Buriganga River, in
the southwestern part of the old Dhaka. Lalbagh Kella is also
well known as “Fort Aurangabad’. This edifice remains as an
incomplete Mughal fortress as the construction stopped abruptly
after the death of Shaista Khan’s daughter, Iran Dukht, popularly
known as ‘Paribibi’. Paribibi’s tomb is one of the monuments on the
site.
The Department of Archeology, Bangladesh hopes that
UNESCO will declare Lalbagh Kella as a ‘world heritage site’ under
cultural category. This fortress is a tourist’s attraction.
Recently, the Institute of Architects Bangladesh had arranged two
‘light and sound’ shows at Lalbagh Kella to feature the
architectural heritage of Bangladesh for foreign delegates from
overseas. However, we did not have a change to enjoy this unique
light and sound show.
Pahela Baishakh
(April 14, 2007)
 This
is the biggest secular festival in the country. People from all
walks of life welcome Bangla New Year 1414 (Pahela Baishakh)
today (April 14, 2007) all over the country. Most residents of the
capital gather at Ramna Batomul Park to take part in the biggest
carnival of the Bangalees. Men in Punjabi and pajama, women in sari,
and children in colorful dress gather at traditional Baishakhi
Mela (fair), a major feature of the celebration of the first day of
Bangla New Year. The celebrations also feature cultural functions at
Ramna Udyan. The Institute of Fine Arts of Dhaka University and
other academic institutions in the capital and other areas join
together to celebrate this first day of the Bangla New Year.
The
festival started early in the day with the gathering of thousands of
people under the banyan tree at Ramna Udayan (park) where artists of
cultural organization, Chhayanaut sang the traditional song of
Rabindra Nath Tagore. “Esho hey Baishakh” – ‘to welcome the
day’. Mangal Shobhajatra, a process seeking well-being of all,
started from the Institute of Fine Arts in the morning. The rest of
the day had numerous traditional songs, folk songs, dances,
recitals, dramas, other cultural programs. I did not dare to go and
participate in with the millions at Romna Park.
However, I was invited to celebrate this day along
with our own students, faculty,
 and
other members of Sher-e-Bangla University in the capital. The campus
site was very colorful. The students had their typical clothes for
each region/district of Bangladesh . The first event we participated
in was to eat ‘Panta’ (rice kept overnight in water) Also,
fried ‘Elish mach’ (hilsa fish), hot chilies, mixed and crushed
dried fish, and ‘Vartha’ (mashed potato with hot chilies, salt and
other spices). It was good very tasty. However, I had to watch what
I eat at this time.
Immediately
I was escorted by freshmen students
to several stalls where
 various
specialized food items such as sweets, yogurt and other items came
from well known districts around Bangladesh. I tried some sweets
followed by cocoanut water. Then I was asked to donate some money so
that the students can have some ice cream later or use this for
other cultural events. The cultural program was a success with
Tagore songs, Najrul songs, folk songs and drama . It is
amazing to see these talented young freshmen and other students
Trip to Nepal
I was invited as a keynote
speaker in a National Seminar “Sustainable use of biological
resources” in Pokhara city, Nepal. The topic was “The importance of
invasive plant species and its impact on biological resources”. This
conference was a successful one with over 200 participants. The UGC
Chair and former Vice Chancellor of Tribhuban University, Kathmandu
was the Chief Guest.
Pokhara is located
in the central part of Nepal. We had to fly via mountain plane. Our
flight was cancelled (after we spent 3 to 4 hours at Kathmandu
airport) due to heavy rain in Pokhara. We flew to Pokhara on next
morning. This city is known as Cherapungee of Nepal (highest
rainfall - over 3345 mm, in Nepal). Cherapungee in India is known
for its maximum rainfall in the world.
Pokhara city is well known for its beautiful lake. You can see the
Himalayan range , Annapurna peak with reflecting sun. What a
beautiful sight it was. This city has no pollution, and the air is
fresh. However, the lake is not so. It is a reflection of our human
civilization as this lake is polluted with papers, cans and other
human wastes.
Jewelries are very
popular in Nepal. Most of these are made by ethnic groups. I was
asked to buy some .
And I bought one small necklace.
On the way back to
Kathmandu, we traveled by
 tourists bus and it took 6 hours. It was a
scenic drive; however, it is scary as the bus traveled by close to
gorges, rivers and steep cliffs. We traveled through medium hills
(1500 to 2000 m) to very high mountains (4000 m). And terrace
farming is a common practice for farming in the mid hill region.
Bye now till next time!
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