A month-long fair has been inaugurated at Sonargaon in Narayanganj at Bangladesh Folk and Crafts Foundation premises.

On Wednesday (January 18) at 11:00 a.m., the fair was formally inaugurated by Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, MP, Minister of Road Transport and Bridges, Bangladesh Government, under the chairmanship of KM Khaled, the State Minister of the Ministry of Culture, who was present as the chief guest.  Member of the Standing Committee of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Gazipur-4 Member of Parliament Begum Simin Hossain Rimi MP, Asim Kumar Ukil MP Member of Parliament Netrakona-3, Honorable Secretary Md.  Abul Munsur, Honorable Artist Hashem Khan, Deputy Commissioner Md.  Manjurul Hafiz, District Police Superintendent Golam Mostafa Rachel, District Awami League President Abu Hasnat Mohammad Badal, Member of Parliament for Narayanganj-3 Constituency Liakat Hossain Khoka, Former MP and Upazila Awami League General Secretary Abdullah Al Qaiser Hasnat, Bangladesh Folk and Crafts Foundation Director S.  M. Rezaul Karim, Sonargaon Upazila Parishad Chairman and Awami League President Veer Muktijodha Advocate Samsul Islam Bhuiyan, Awami League Leader HM Masud Dulal, Sonargaon Upazila Executive Officer Rezwan Ul Islam, Upazila Assistant Land Officer Md. Ibrahim Mia, Sonargaon Police Station OC Mohammad Mahbubur Alam, Female  Vice Chairman Mahmuda Akhter Fancy, former member of District Council Mahfuzur Rahman Kalam, Bardi UP Chairman Lion Babul Sonargaon Upazila former freedom fighter commander Osman Gani, Sonargaon Upazila Awami Jubo League President Rafiqul Islam Nannu, Jubilee General Secretary Md Ali Haider, Sonargaon Municipal Mayoral candidate Nasreen Sultana Jhra, mayoral candidate Mohammad Hossain, mayoral candidate Md Chagir Mia and various electronic media and print media journalists.

In the speech of the chief guest, Obaidul Quader said that we have to improve this Sonargaon museum in a smart way by keeping the previous tradition.

 Aiming to revive the lost traditions of Abhaman Village Bengal, Bangladesh Folk and Crafts Foundation organizes month-long folk craft fairs and folk festivals every year.

Organized for the revival of indigenous culture, this month-long folk craft fair will have a display of handicrafts, folk art, puppet dance, biscope, nagardola, rural games and other products.  During the month-long festival, there will be cultural programs of folk fairs, almost extinct rural games performed by school students, and exhibitions of handicrafts by working artisans.

T fair started from January 18 and will continue for a month till February 16.  According to the foundation sources, 100 stalls including 24 stalls for the exhibition of working artisans have been set up in this year’s fair.  48 artisans from remote areas of the village will actively participate.  This year, Sonargaon’s handicrafts, elephants and horses, mummy dolls’ spectral-outdoor products, Jamalpur’s copper-bronze-brass hobby items etc.

Ulfat Kabir

Sonargaon