Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET) celebrated the Pahela Baishakh, the Bengali New Year 1419 amid festivity on Saturday, April 14, 2012. The whole university wore a festive dimension as the students of KUET installed stalls representing their respective halls for a Baishakhi Fair with pure Bengali fashion building straw & clay made beautiful huts. Very special “Panta” (watery rice) and fried Hilsha fish with green chilies, sort of native and indigenous cakes etc. were the main attractions in the fair.

Celebration started in the early morning with the enchanting Tagor’s melody song “Esho hey Baishakh esho esho” at the auditorium premises of the evergreen KUET campus. At 10:00 am a grand colourful procession (Mongol Shovajatra) to mark the Pahela Baishakh started and paraded the whole varsity campus, Fulbari area led by the VC of KUET Prof. Dr. Alamgir with participants in traditional attire wearing multi-coloured masks, palanquins, bullock-carts etc. Cultural programmes, snake-charming, kite flying, cock fight, kabadi, fanush (paper-balloon) flying etc. were also the day long native attractions of the day. VC Prof. Dr. Alamgir attended all the programmes while Ms. Meherunnesa Lata, wife of VC accompanied him. DSW (in-charge) Dr. M. Harunur Rashid, teachers, students, officers and staff of the university enjoyed the day long festival.

In a short speech Dr. Alamgir, VC, said Pahela Baishakh is deeply rooted in our heritage and we are proud of it. May the Bengali New Year bring message of joy for all and unite all to build a prosperous nation, he added.