Things other than crises and politics for a change

This week Britain, along with the rest of Europe as well as the US, celebrated the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings on the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944. Ten years ago, in 1994, the then German Chancellor Helmut Kohl chose not to attend the 50th anniversary celebrations because he could not bring himself to stand beside those who had inflicted such a humiliating defeat on his country. On June 6, 2004, as the French President Jacques Chirac hosted the main international event at Arromanches -- codenamed the Golden Beach by the 1944 D-Day military planners -- the current German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder sat next to the British Prime Minister, listening, and apparently agreeing, to Chirac's declaration that today's Franco-German relationship was an example to the whole world that "hatred has no future, that a path to peace is always possible." Many of the readers who have read the fascinating Diary of Anne Frank will perhaps remember the words written by the young Dutch girl hiding in an attic when she heard of D-Day: "It still seems too wonderful, like a fairytale, I may yet be able to go back to school in September or October."

The US President George Bush remembered the words, too, as he was speaking at a ceremony commemorating the American soldiers who had fallen on D-Day. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was also among the seventeen Heads of State and assorted dignitaries present at the ceremony at Arromanches and stood, visibly moved, as members of the Normandy Veterans Association, mostly British ex-servicemen in their 80s and beyond -- many of whom are unlikely to be around for the 70th anniversary celebrations in 2014 -- paraded past her. "I take it upon myself," she told the veterans, "to express the immense debt of gratitude we owe to you all. I salute you and thank you on behalf of our whole nation." Within Britain, the ceremonies were kept deliberately low-key, avoiding the pomp and splendour of Arromanches, but were poignant with personal pride and private grief. Apart from attending the memorial services held in places of worship and events arranged at the Gardens of Remembrance, the families and friends of the veterans who had travelled to Normandy watched the ceremonies there beamed live on television, while the kith and kin of those who are no more in this world prayed and grieved in private.

Another celebration

I refer to the Baishakhi Mela that is held in London every May. This year's mela held on Sunday, May 9, organised by local, mainly East London's Bangalees. This fair was first held in 1998, so this year's fair is the seventh. From the very first year, the fair has been extremely popular not only among the Bangalee community in Britain, but has also generated immense interest among all other communities, British and non-British alike, and has been receiving generous help and support from official bodies.

Thousands of Londoners, as well as people from different parts of Britain, come to the fair and join the various events organised on the day. Hordes of Bangalees travel to London by car or coach from cities like Luton, Birmingham, Manchester, or, Sheffield, just as they do from farther away parts of Britain like Wales and Scotland, many with their families. My wife Urmi and I had gone to a small village near the pre-historic monuments called Stonehenge in Wiltshire for a short break during the Bank Holiday weekend in May. One evening we went for dinner at a Bangladeshi restaurant about halfway to the next village and were told by the Bangalee staff that they had closed the restaurant on May 9 so that they could all travel to London to be at the fair. At least some of those from Dhaka and other areas of Bangladesh who might have been in England at this time of the year, have surely been to London's Baishakhi Mela and gone back after being a part of their native country's celebration on foreign soil.

This year's fair was organised by the newly-formed Baishakhi Mela Trust, comprising representatives of local artistes, business firms, and residents. Official and independent bodies like Tower Hamlets Council, the Corporation of London, Cityside Regeneration, London Development Agency, and London Fire Brigade, as well as the Mayor of London's office and the Metropolitan Police, gave active help in making the fair a success. Those who have attended the fair in previous years know that on the morning of the day a colourful procession is taken out of Allen Gardens, situated in an area of East London now officially known as Banglatown, which makes its way along Brick Lane all round the neighbourhood. This is the famous Brick Lane which is today called "Europe's Curry Capital" because it is the home of many of the most popular Bangladeshi restaurants in London. The fair is held along both sides of Brick Lane -- no vehicular traffic in allowed on this street and a few other streets in the vicinity at any time for the duration of the fair. This year's fair also started the same way. As morning spread into midday and beyond, the streets began to fill with thousands of people -- at least 50,000 according to the organisers -- and eager crowds gathered before and around the stalls vending a great variety of fares, mostly offering a flavour of Bangladesh, including tasty, mouth-watering savouries and foodstuffs, even green coconuts and paan-zarda. Regardless of sex, age, race, and colour, all enjoyed the fair to their hearts' content until the evening.

A cultural function presenting Bangla songs, dances and recitations was held on the main stage erected at Allen Gardens. Apart from many popular local artistes, Kumar Biswajeet from Bangladesh and Tajul Imam from New York performed at the function. Baul songs and Bangla folk songs presented by the last named artiste enchanted the audience. Tajul had come to London on the invitation of London Biswa Sahitya Kendro to perform at a cultural event organised by them. The main venue of Biswa Sahitya Kendro's function was at the Brady Centre, just off Brick Lane, where the day-long events were inaugurated by Prof. Abdullah Abu Sayeed. At the Brady Centre too, Tajul's performance captivated all. A CD containing a collection of old Bangla songs sung by Tajul has come out a few weeks ago, which was on sale at the Brady Centre and it was totally sold out even before the evening's function ended.

All said and done, this year's Baishakhi Mela in London has certainly been able to leave a lasting impression on everyone's mind and heart, like in previous years, as a genuinely effective occasion capable of bringing people together, inspiring them to forget their differences, at least for a day. Well, that certainly is worth waiting for until next year.