Lalon memorial festival begins

The five-day Lalon Smaran Utsab (Lalon memorial festival) at the Lalon Akhra, began at Chheuria in Kushtia, yesterday.

The annual festival, also called Dol Purnima Utsab, has been organised by the Lalon Academy that oversees the upkeep of Lalon's shrine.

The akhra saw an influx of Lalon devotees and admirers from Bangladesh and overseas. As always the big attraction of the event, organised through donations from Lalon's exponents, is a Baul Mela and rendition of baul songs.

Apparently, Lalon used to organise the event himself at his akhra. After his demise, his shishyas (disciples) carried on with the tradition.

The programme aims to highlight the philosophy of Lalon that he introduced around 200 years ago. After the death of the bard, the celebration is held in memory of the saint. Lalon's philosophy lies in his songs he wrote. These songs fuse two streams of spiritual thought -- Sufism and Vaishnav (the Krishna cult).

Among others, Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, several lawmakers and senior government officials are slated to address the gathering.