The New Nation - Internet Edition

DU Correspondent

Preparations afoot for celebrating the Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bengali New Year, at the Fine Arts Institute of the Dhaka University.

The students of the Institute on Wednesday were found painting pictures, making masks of owl, fish and other motifs and forming structures of different symbols of Bengali folk culture.

To raise funds for the celebration, prominent artists of the country have put up their works on sale at the Zoinul Art Gallery of the Institute. The entire expenses of the celebration will come in this way, the organiser of the festival said at a press conference at the institute yesterday.

"We are not taking sponsor from any company for the celebration. We urge people to buy the works of country's prominent artists and help to organise the festival," said Abdus Shakur, director of the institute and convener of the 'Baishakh Udjapon Parishad'.

The institute has been celebrating the festival since 1989 with pomp and glory. The masked procession of the Institute students has become a tradition for welcoming the Bengali New Year.