More than 3,000 Bangladeshis from all walks of life celebrated their New Year — Naba Barsha — on Friday at an open-air ground in a suburb close to the capital.
Distinguished guests participating in the festivities included Prince Bandar ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Saud, who had offered to purchase a major stake in the Rupali Bank in Dhaka for $450 million, Pakistani Ambassador Shahid Karimullah and Sri Lankan Ambassador A.M.J. Sadiq.
The celebration, which was organized by the Bangladeshi community in cooperation with the Bangladesh mission, also held Baisakhi Fair to mark the commencement of the New Year.
A wide range of items including ornaments, garments, silver jewelry, handicraft, saris and other Bangladeshi products were sold at the bazaar.
The country’s most popular mode of transport — the rickshaw — was also made available for rides for children within the grounds of the venue. Stalls served typical Bangladeshi dishes at modest prices.
Addressing the community members, Bangladeshi Ambassador Ikramul Haque said the embassy has introduced a prompt automated consular service for people who come to the mission to renew or extend their passports. “This is a service that was introduced to help community members receive instant consular services and get data about their passports at the press of a button,” he said.
Haque said there are over one million Bangladeshis in the Kingdom and that around 300,000 live in the Central Province. He also appealed to Bangladeshi expatriates to contribute their best to the development of their nation and serve the host country in the best possible way.
Students from the two Bangladeshi schools in the capital participated in a cultural show, which was spiced with folk songs, dances and recitals of patriotic songs and poems.