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It was a wise decision on the part of the government to celebrate two great national events keeping the pageantry to a bare minimum. Both the events, however, deserved unfettered jubilation and mass participation. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic's prevalence, physical presence of people had to be kept under restriction. As a way out, the authorities put the virtual medium to maximum utilisation. Exceptions were the events centring round the movements of the foreign heads of state and government. They had been invited as special guests of honour.
The celebration of the two events --- the centennial of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of the Bangladesh independence, has been marred due to the impact of the pandemic. Physical presence at national events is tangible engagement in the festivities. It is marked by spontaneity. The general people eagerly look forward to getting involved in these festivities. The virtual medium offers the live or recorded visuals. But there is a veil that deprives people of direct participation. It was not unique to Bangladesh. In the pandemic-hit world, hundreds of otherwise participatory events continue to be held through digital means. Thanks to the radical invention of virtual devices, people didn't have to postpone or cancel national and international seminars, bilateral and multilateral talks. The device of webinar came to the rescue.
Hundreds of countries and territories normally celebrate one or another event throughout the year. In the last two years, these festivities have been abridged considerably. Many parts of the world are now under off-and-on lockdowns. Some of these movement restrictions are noticeably stringent, consigning people to their homes for days on end. Yet defiant and law-flouting people are found in every part of the world. They must 'revolt' and break restrictions imposed to ensure that the citizens remain safe from being infected by the Covid-19 virus. These rogue elements rush to the beaches taking with them the innocent neighbourhood people. The Christmas holidays last year witnessed a series of celebrations in many territories. As had been feared these reckless behaviours have invited woes for the sensible segments of people staying indoors. Thus lots of Western countries had to pass through the virulent resurgence of the pandemic. In return, large and small cities were made to grind under punishing and lengthy lockdowns. Some of the European nations eventually earned the notoriety of being compulsively law flouting, inviting pandemic ordeals for the others and themselves.
Perhaps to make amends for the prices paid for the recent lax enforcement of a lockdown, the authorities imposed a 'stringent' one across the country from April 14. The day marks the Bengali New Year (Bangla Nobo-borsho or Pahela Baishakh), a great day of festivity, jubilations and fanfare. It is observed throughout the country's urban and suburban areas. But the Bangla New Year's Day has its origins in rural Bangladesh. For the last three decades, the day has emerged with a purely urban character. From the very beginning, Dhaka has been the centre-point of Pahela Baishakh celebrations.
The Bangla New Year's Day, nowadays, stands for jubilant crowds of male and female people of all ages leisurely moving, merry-making and milling around. The great attraction of the day has long been the massive Mongol Shobhajatra. It's a unique procession participated by mostly colourfully attired male and female youths holding placards and banners and floats showing Bengal's age-old folk motifs. They also sing in chorus the immortal Tagore Song welcoming the 1st of Baishakh. Like last year, the procession has been banned also this year to ensure people remain safe from the pandemic infections. The most striking, but lately worrisome, feature of the fun-filled Bangla New Year's Day is the unrestrained rush of youths. They are often found jostling with each other, thus giving the corona virus a great chance for contaminating each other. This year, the spectre has been kept on a tight leash. The new phase of a countrywide lockdown began on April 14. This turn of things wouldn't have come to this pass. It was invited by the people themselves. Apparently, it was the blatant indifference and nonchalance of a major segment of people regarding the pandemic's spread which had prompted the government to take a tough stance.
National and social festivals outside home peripheries do not go with a highly contagious pandemic like Covid-19. Even small-community and family festivals should be considered anathema during these scourges. But semi-festive family get-togethers at times warrant to be held on emergency basis. They include a wedding function long overdue, funeral prayers for someone close, a tiny-scale feast felicitating a family member being honoured with a prize abroad. These social assemblages, comprising people wearing corona-masks and maintaining physical distance, cannot be avoided.
In the last two years, with restrictions on outside movement in place, young city residents could not be prevented from celebrating traditional festivals in their own ways. They didn't need to be outside their homes. From exchange of greetings to gossip sessions and exchange of jokes etc --- everything was held online. There is the omnipresent and all-purpose Facefook. Against a dreary backdrop outside, lots of fun-seeking youths spent a great time on being hooked on the online-based jubilations. Despite the Pahela Baishakh festivities being veritably off-limits to them this year, people in the country's internet covered areas didn't have to worry much. By using the online platform, they were able to remain close to each other. During normal times these days, with no movement restrictions in place, lots of Dhaka people celebrate Pahela Baishakh, observe Ekushey February, or organise Eid Day get-togethers on their apartment premises. It has largely been necessitated by the people residing far from the city centres. These places include Gulshan, Baridhara, Bashundhara Residential Area or Uttara. Participating in celebrations at venues in their close neighbourhoods relieves them of the ordeals of making way through stubborn gridlocks. In the similar way, the lockdown crises can be weathered without compromising the pandemic-time physical safety guidelines.
On the third day of the second lockdown, despite the city residents' abiding by the order of staying home, the changes in the trajectory of the pandemic have yet to become clear. Experts believe it will take some time for the situation to adopt a character marked by considerable remission. The second phase of the countrywide Covid-19 vaccination started April 8. It goes on in full swing, along with the parallel programme of first-time inoculations. Many an overcautious person skipped the first doses fearing health complications and side-effects. Watching the earlier vaccinated people free of any health hazards, the vaccine-dodging people are joining the queues in increased numbers. They need to register online first. They will be informed through SMS about the date and venue of taking the vaccine. People vaccinated with the second dose had to go through a similar process. The addition of the new vaccine-seekers is feared to put unexpected pressure on the government stocks of the vaccines. Meanwhile, people are found still rushing to hospitals and health centres to ascertain their infection status --- positive or negative.
People in the developed countries do not appear they will be deprived of the Xmas and the following Gregorian New Year's celebrations this year. They are making sure that they are properly vaccinated, and have strengthened their immunity. Lots of them missed the festivities last year. To make up for the great 'loss' they are preparing for the coming festivities. As has been seen during the time of the European Black Death in the 14th-15th centuries, people couldn't fully banish the occasional phases of entertainment from their pandemic-plagued lives.
The governments cannot afford to lose scores of lives in this age of amazing breakthroughs in the medical sector. Due mainly to this, the mandatory health guideline of social distance has been attached so much emphasis. Ironically, developing countries like Bangladesh have yet to get the message implicit in their way of leading a carefree life. They want to seize every opportunity to join the events of festivities like in normal times. The coming days will show the extent of behavioural restraints Bangladesh people could exercise during the ongoing lockdown.