It was a pleasant surprise this week to stumble upon a steady stream of vivid photographs and videos of Saraswati Puja being celebrated in Bangladesh. Shared by a Bangladeshi handle on X, they were an eye opener.

Having visited the country and followed Bangladeshi media for several years, I was acutely aware that reports of persecution of Hindus in our neighbouring country were exaggerated. Yet nothing had prepared me for the images of vibrant colour and joyous celebration of the Hindu festival in ‘Islamic’ Bangladesh.

It came as a surprise to find there was an ‘official’ government function on the occasion in Dhaka, attended among others by the high commissioner of India to Bangladesh. I had not known about what the handle described as a ‘truck rally’ — a procession of trucks — with idols in Comilla, accompanied by music, dancing and drummers. It was fascinating to see the elaborate decorations that borrowed from the rich Bangla literature on both sides of the border.

The scale itself was staggering. All 74 departments in Dhaka University, this handle posted, put up their own idols with donations raised by students and teachers. Each department apparently chipped in with funds from their budget. The public celebrations were attended by Muslims, Christians and Buddhists besides Hindus. Each department displayed their work and what they study. There were the idols put up by departments of fine arts and literature, but also by departments of engineering and micro-biology.

It was, as expected, a riot........

© National Herald