2nd Letter from Nahian from UK to Minhaz in Bangladesh

 

Sender: Nahian Iftekhar

Senders Location: Glasgow, UK 

Receiver: Minhazul Islam

Receiver Location: Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Dear Minhaz,

As I’m writing this letter, I’m still mesmerized about your letter. You talked about your favorite river as

if it was your friend, not just a river flowing through the land to meet its end at the ocean. Reading your

letter also made me want to meet your friend and walk along its banks. Someday maybe.

As the month of April is passing by, the first thing it reminds me of is Pohela Boisakh, the first day of

Bengali New year is on the horizon. Growing up in Dhaka, Pohela Boisakh has always been a festive

occasion in our family. I used to wake up, freshen up and start the day by eating panta bhaat and mach.

Although the trend nowadays has been to eat Ilish maach, my mother used to cook multiple fishes

on those special occasions. On some years we used to join the Mongol Shovajatra organized by the

students at the Institute of Fine Arts of University of Dhaka. That was a colorful, joyous spectacle:

people of all ages wearing their most colorful outfits, playing drums, flutes, and whatnot. But the center

of attraction was the statues: birds, animals, of different shapes and sizes. As I grew older, I saw the

student’s working day and night before the main day making the statues, designing, and painting them

from scratch. But there were never signs of tiredness in their faces, they were singing, running around

but still working at the same time. How I wish to go back to those days. On a side note: Mongol

Shovajatra is considered a UNESCO heritage, bearing its significance in the Bengali culture.

This will be the first time that I’m going to miss Pohela Boisakh and its festivities in Bangladesh.

Although it breaks my heart, I guess that’s what makes the memories of previous Boisakh even more

memorable. Hopefully I’ll be able to be part of the festivities soon.

That’s all for today. Let me know how you celebrate Pohela Boisakh in your life. Looking forward to

hearing from you soon.

Nahian