‘Ananda Shobhajatra’ welcomes Bengali New Year with message against fascism

‘Ananda Shobhajatra’, marking the first day of the Bengali New Year, was brought out from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University on Monday morning, reinforcing messages of unity, peace, and resistance against oppression.

This year’s theme—“Nababarsh-er Oikotan, Fascibader Oboshan” (The Harmony of New Year, End to Fascism)—resonated through the streets as students, teachers, cultural activists, and people from various professions joined the colourful celebration.

The procession started at 9:00 am, led by the Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University, Professor Dr Niaz Ahmed Khan.

Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, members of 28 ethnic communities, and representatives of educational institutions, social and cultural organsations joined the vibrant procession.

The procession started from the Faculty of Fine Arts and ended at the same place after passing through Shahbagh intersection, TSC intersection, Shaheed Minar, Physical Education Center, Doel Square, and Bangla Academy.

The parade featured eight large diverse motifs—‘Fascist face’ against fascism, Bangladesh’s national symbols tiger and hilsa, white dove as a symbol of peace, Palkhi, bottle of water by Mughdho, ‘36th July’, and a watermelon motif showing solidarity with Palestine.

There was an eye-catching 100-feet-long painting, decorated rickshaws, and horse-drawn carriages.

Preparations for bringing out the procession started at 8:00 am at the Faculty of Fine Arts. A decorated horse parade of Dhaka Metropolitan Police was held at the beginning.

Alongside members of law enforcement agencies, students of Fine Arts, BNCC, Red Crescent, Rover Scout, and Girls Guide members performed duties as volunteers to ensure security.

Participating in the procession, private university student Raju Ahmed said, “This year's New Year celebration is a bit exceptional. It sends a message of ending fascism.”

However, preparations for the event faced a setback when two of the motifs were set on fire in the early hours of Saturday inside the Faculty of Fine Arts compound.

Several symbolic motifs, including the ‘monstrous face of fascism’ and the ‘dove of peace’, created for the Bengali New Year celebrations, were burnt.

The destroyed effigy depicted a fearsome female face with a gaping mouth, four sharp horns, a pronounced nose, and terrified eyes—constructed from bamboo and cane. The striking image led many to believe it resembled ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

CCTV footage from the incident shows a young man in a black T-shirt and brown pants scaling the southern gate of the faculty. He poured a flammable liquid on the effigy and set it ablaze before disappearing.

In response, current and former students of the faculty quickly mobilised to recreate the damaged motifs, and the work was also completed by Sunday night.