Michael Nongrum, back from Srimangal

A three-day long Harmony Festival was held in Srimangal of Moulvibazar with traditional dances, songs and interesting fairs of various minority ethnicities and communities.

In order to develop the tourism industry, a three-day long 'Harmony Festival' was held for the first time in Srimangal upazila of Moulvibazar one of the tourist areas of the country, which is famous for tea capital.

Representatives and cultural organizations of 26 ethnic groups including Khasi, Manipuri, Chakma, tea workers, Garo, Santal, Tripura, Kharia participated in it. Last Friday at 4 pm, the Harmony Festival was inaugurated by Chief Adviser Principal Secretary M Siraj Uddin Mia on Kakiachhara Government Primary School ground adjacent to BTRI.

With Bangladesh Tourism Board Chief Executive Abu Taher Md. Jaber in the chair special guests were Secretary of Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry Miz Nasreen Jahan, Sylhet Divisional Commissioner Khan Md. Reza Un Nabi, Deputy Commissioner of Moulvibazar Israel Hossain, SME Foundation Managing Director Anwar Hossain Chowdhury, Additional Superintendent of Police Sudarshan Kumar Roy and others.

At the first day that the harmony festival was attended by a large number of tourists from different parts of the country. The festival has 44 exhibition stalls showcasing their heritage and culture along with Bengali pitha puli and food stalls. One of the organizers of the fair, Srimangal UNO Md. Islam Uddin.

He said, tourism industry is carrying our history and tradition, we want to enrich the country's economy through this industry. Therefore, the three-day 'Harmony Festival' fair of the Tourism Board has been held. They displayed their products, food, lifestyle, clothes etc. through 44 stalls in the fair. Apart from this, they performed on the stage on the first day about their culture, dance and songs, religious rituals.

The festival also features live demonstrations of traditional crafts, including betel and bamboo items made by the Khasi community, traditional waist looms from the Tripura people, handlooms from the Manipuri people, and processes related to tea and rubber production.