Kushtia: Marking the 135th death anniversary of the mystic saint Lalon Shah, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is set to organize the Lalon Festival and Lalon Fair (Lalon Uthsav O Lalon Mela) simultaneously across the country for the first time. The festival will take place from October 17 to 19 at the Lalon Akhra in Kushtia, with a one-day event scheduled in Dhaka on October 18.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Lalon festivals and fairs will also be observed concurrently in all 64 districts on October 17. The Kushtia segment of the festival, organized by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and managed by the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in collaboration with the district administration, aims to gather Lalon devotees, spiritual seekers, and folk artists. The event will include discussions on Lalon’s philosophy, performances of Lalon songs, and traditional fairs highlighting Baul culture and rural heritage.
The inaugural ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 PM on October 17 at Lalon Akhra in Cheuriya, Kushtia. Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki will attend as the chief guest, and Cultural Affairs Secretary Md Mofidur Rahman will deliver the welcome address. Renowned international scholar and writer Professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak will attend the event as the main discussant. Poet, writer, and thinker Farhad Mazhar and Professor A. Al Mamun of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Rajshahi University, will also address the gathering. Deputy Commissioner Abu Hasnat Mohmmad Arafin will preside over the opening ceremony.
Following the formal inauguration, noted folk artists including Tuntun Baul, Sunil Kormokar, Rowshan Fakir, and Latif Shah, among many other Bauls and Fakirs from across the country, will perform. On October 18 and 19, the fairground in Cheuriya will continue to resonate with Lalon’s songs performed by folk artists from different parts of the country.
In parallel with the Kushtia celebrations, a Lalon musical event will also be held at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka on October 18. The Dhaka program will feature performances by Emon Chowdhury and Bengal Symphony, Aleya Begum, Lalon Band, Nirab and Bauls, Mujib Pardeshi, Pathik Nabi, Suchona Sheli, Baula Band, Arup Rahi, Samageet, and many others.