Pahela Baishakh, the largest cultural festival of the
Bengalis to welcome the Bengali new year, will be celebrated on Tuesday with
much enthusiasm and amid stepped-up security across the country.
Thousands of people in Dhaka are expected to converge at Ramna Batamul, the main venue of the celebrations, at sunrise as Chhayanaut, which has been observing the day since 1965, will usher in the Bengali year 1416, rendering songs of Rabindranath Tagore sung by its students.
Special security arrangements have been made for the
venues of celebrations. An explosion at Ramna Batamul during Pahela Baishakh
celebrations in 2001 killed at least 10 people.
No makeshift
stalls or fairs will be allowed around Ramna Batamul and some roads leading to
the place have been made off-limits to vehicles.
The road stretches made off-limits are from Shahbagh to
Matsya Bhaban and from the Teachers-Students Centre to Doyel Square at Dhaka
University.
Security personnel will patrol the areas of Ramna Park, Shishu Park, Shilpakala Academy, Supreme Court, Suhrawardy Udyan, Shahbagh, Dhaka University and Kakrail Square.