Pahela Baishak, the fascinating Bangla New Year displaying the festival in colours, festoons, music and art...

Face paints in seal versions

All kinds of ladies attractions are seen in bangles and trinkets, in all shapes and colours.

Red and White, celebration colours of young and old

Dry Food, peanuts to munchies from vendors to full lunch meals are found all around. 

Mouth-watering green guavas and mangoes, tossed in salt and spices are simply a bliss to beat the heat.

So are the green coconuts served as fresh drinks!!

Prompt security always at hand to take care of the free crowd

This is a tiny, miniature reflection of the greatest Bangla festival, welcoming the Bangla New Year 1420, today, first of Baishak, the first month of the Bangla calender year. At the peak heat of the summer, Bangalees celebrate the overnight  eve and the day long new year with festivities, food varieties, festoons, games for children to adults, colours with paints and brushes in action for the entire last month, for this single day's event, the biggest and the most spontaneous of all Bangalee events. After the night celebrations of the last day of Chaitra, the hottest last Bangla calender month to stepping into Baishak, the hot summer month and the first month of the Bangla calender. The opening begins with early morning open air musical soirees in every nook and corner of the capital city particularly in the parks and by the lakes and also seen all over the country, institutionally and otherwise. The celebrations arise from folk history as the new year began with the collection of taxes and closure of the year's accounts from our rich agricultural heritage. So, the city people today enjoy in festive mood, the rural food and fun games and colours in art and attire, joining family and friends for celebrations of complete happiness and joy as one steps into the new year for another year of hard work and wiping out  all negative forces and spirits of the past year and moving forward towards the new. Also, it is amazing to note is that the summer big-tree-blossoms are just ready too, blooming in their fresh bright colours of red, yellow pink and purple, welcoming the New Year, and people from all walks join the crowds, amidst traffic jams using whatever means of transports available, some even walking the miles. 

Rickshaws and their Art, in bright and beautiful colours....

Dhaka, also known as the "rickshaw capital of the world" is traversed by myriads of cycle rickshaws in its streets. These are tricyles with a passenger seat covered by a folded hood.They are restricted on the main avenues and some streets where they are allowed they may be organized to form a long trail or they can also be chaotic by finding their way through the busy traffic by maneuvering quickly in between the vehicles. In this interesting city, both in old and new parts they are around in great numbers, and not only they provide living for the thousands of rickshaw-wallas or rickshaw-drivers who are cycling these colourful passenger tricycles but are also an easy and cheap source of transport for the normal city dwellers. On a pleasant calm day, a simple joyful rickshaw ride can give a wonderful feeling and perspective, as one gets to watch the surrounding while riding on a rickshaw with its hood folded. The rickhaws also provide a colourful brigthness to the city even on a gloomy day with their colourful artistic representation. The plastic hood is bright and contains typical flower art, vases or butterfly motifs done in applique art. There may be very decorative ornaments hanging depending on the designer who has done it.  Behind the Rickshaw usually the designer's or painter's name is written on a board where the typical rickshaw art or painting is depicted. The art is very traditional, may be of historical origin to recent cinema celebrities of that town. It may differ year to year, so one can tell the time from the painting. Many internet sites display this art nowadays and many have transformed it into a social business to help the community. Most importantly, now they have reached the appreciation of a large audience travelling from the east to the the west. This typical art may be found in many of the buses, trucks, some small autodriven rickshaws around our subcontinent, on the whole. Have a look at art with large strokes, in bright and beautiful colours........

The up-coming modern glass face

The glass architecture including the taller architecture is changing the faces of many of the  Avenues. The glass, no doubt, looks more neat, fresh and clear amidst the green. We simply need to keep the multicoloured billboard in their correct positions so that the proper alignment and organization and clearity is maintained with the new fresh look. The taller heights too need to be cautioned, as we are still an earthquake prone city and height regulations must strictly be maintained for risk management. This commercialization of many a avenues divides the city into small pockets of self contained areas with their own tastes and flavours remaining within themselves. Here is a glimpse of such a new approach....

Dhaka gets a fresh look, by restoration of its original waterway networks, the Hatirjheel-Begunbari canals...

The Hairjheel-Begunbari canal restoration is a 'massive ventilator', spreading over 302 acres, for the rescueing the city from pollution and traffic jams and death of its water bodies by land filling and occupation by the ever-increasing city dwellers. Hoping that its citizens will keep the open lake areas pollution free by maintaing a clean-green environment for their own breathing purpose and healthy living. The continual haphazard construction and growth of 'concrete conglomerates' without preservation of the waterways or greenery over the last few years had transformed the beautiful riverine capital on the bank of river Buriganga into a city of bricks-concrete-traffic-and human jams. Now, its people will wake up and breathe fresh air from the serene blue waters of the several lakes and jheels-khals and ponds that have been dredged, made pollution free and restored. Thanks to the consorted efforts of the special units of the Armed Forces, the capital development authorities (RAJUK), the Water and Sewerage Authorities, Engineering University and other respected organizations of the governing body. This multipurpose waterbody will not only connect both east-west, north and southern parts of the city by bridges and expressways, two-way service roads but also make the city clean, fresh, lessen pollution and the traffic jams and finally protect the capital from water-logging or massive flooding from the monsoon rains.