Stuff correspondent 

Thousands of people attended the “Barshabaran Ananda Shobhajatra” on Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangla New Year 1432, on Dhaka University campus on Monday.

The theme of this Pahela Baishakh was “Nabobarsher oikyatan, fyasibaader obosan” (symphony of the New Year, end of fascism).

The Barshabaran Ananda Shobhajatra was brought out from the Fine Arts faculty of Dhaka University at 9:00 am and ended at 10:30 am after parading through Shahbagh intersection, TSC intersection, Shaheed Minar, physical education centre, Doyel Chattar, the road in front of Bangla Academy.

This year, people from 28 ethnic minority groups, government and private educational institutions, social and cultural organisations and guests from different countries attended the Shobhajatra. There was a call to maintain communal harmony and stop war in Palestine in the procession.

There were seven large motifs, seven medium sized and seven small motifs in the procession but the main attraction was the “Face of a fascist”.

Apart from this, there were motifs of a slice of watermelon, tiger, hilsa fish, peace dove, traditional mask and a palanquin. The flag of Palestine was also shown in the New Year procession. There was a contingent of horse riders of the police force.

The traditions of Bangla and Bangalees were highlighted in the Shobhajatra. A few persons were seen replicating the harvesting procedure. One of them told Prothom Alo that the agriculture in villages represents Bengal.

People from various walks of life alongside the teachers and students joined the Barshabaran Ananda Shobhajatra.

Earlier on Saturday, two motifs were torched inside the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University. The 20-feet ‘face of a fascist’ motif was burnt to ashes while another motif ‘peace dove’ was burnt partially.

The motif representing the face of fascism was crafted using bamboo and cane into the form of a snarling woman’s face. It featured four upright horns on the head, an open mouth, an oversized nose, and two fearful eyes. Many perceived it as a portrait of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The video footage of the incident showed a youth wearing a black t-shirt and an off-white pant, entered the premises jumping over the southern gate of the Fine Arts faculty. Then he poured down something liquid over the ‘face of a fascist’ motif and set fire to that. He was not seen later.

Former and current students of the Fine Arts faculty made the ‘face of a fascist’ motif again with thermocol for the ‘Barshabaran Ananda Shobhajatra’.

The work of reconstructing the ‘face of a fascist’ started on Saturday night.

A procession named “Pahela Baishakh Ananda Shobhajatra” was first organised in 1986 by an organisation, Charupith, in Jashore. Later in 1989, the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University organised a colourful procession on the Pahela Baishakh, which was named “Ananda Shobhajatra”.

Later, the procession was renamed “Mangal Shobhajatra” after the mass uprising in the 90. Since then the Pahela Baishakh shobhajtra has been organised under the name “Mangal Shobhajatra”. This year the government changed the name of “Mangal Shobhajatra” to “Barshabaran Ananda Shobhajatra”.