After the long wait of pandemic, the traditional Bangladeshi community festival ‘ Boishakhi Mela’ held in Sydney, Australia.
The Bengali New Year falls on the 14th of April followed by the Gregorian calendar but this year the traditional ‘Baishakhi Mela’ held on Saturday 28th of May at the huge venue of Bankstown Passway in Sydney by the initiative of Bangabandhu Parishad Sydney, Australia.
This Boishakhi Mela in Sydney is a great gathering of expatriate Bengalis and other language speakers in Australia. It became one of the major multi-cultural event in Australia. It’s color, diversity, vibrant & cultural value attracts more than 20,000 people every year.
Boishakhi Mela is one of the most important occasions of Bangla New Year’s Day. Among the popular fairs of Bengali culture and heritage, Boishakhi Mela is significant for its own features and appeals. It is a festival of joy and pleasure.
Bangabandhu Parishad Sydney, Australia has been organizing this Boishakhi Mela for almost twenty years. Gausul Alam Shahzada, General Secretary of Bangabandhu Parishad Sydney, Australia, the organizer of the fair and convener of the fair said that the main objective of the fair was to introduce Bengali language, literature, culture and history to the nation and to the new generation of Bangladeshi born in Australia.
This year’s fair ground was full to the brim with guests. Not only the expatriate Bengalis in Australia, but also the presence of other language-speaking guests was significant. Many people came to the fair from far in Sydney. From small children to the elderly from different parts of Australia also participated in the fair dressed in Boishakhi attire.
This traditional ‘Boishakhi Mela’ was surrounded by various stalls of Bengali food and local clothes. The food stalls had a variety of delicious local dishes including Puri, Chatpati, Halim, Jilabi, Singara, Biriani and a variety of cakes and sweets.
One of the main attraction of the fair was a famous Bangladeshi singer Mamtaz Begum.