Message from HPM Sheikh Hasina, on the Occasion of Bengali New Year

Dear Fellow Citizens,

Happy New Year!
With the dawn of the first day of Boishakh on the Bengali calendar, a new year begins—recognized as Pohela Boishakh. I extend heartfelt greetings to everyone on the occasion of Bengali New Year 1432.

Pohela Boishakh is the most universal celebration of the Bengali people. This occasion is celebrated with hopes for happiness, peace, and prosperity, while leaving behind the grief of past mistakes and failures. The first light of dawn on this day brings forth new dreams, aspirations, and possibilities. It unites the Bengali nation in its unique worldview and rich cultural identity. I call upon all to step into the new year, leaving behind the old and the worn, embracing harmony that transcends religion, race, and community.

Indigenous communities across Bangladesh also mark the last two days of the old year and the first day of the new year with vibrant festivities to welcome new life and the New Year. I extend my warmest greetings to them as well.

Dear Countrymen,

Pohela Boishakh is deeply intertwined with our heritage and culture. The enduring cultural traditions of Bengal, though facing many external influences and obstacles, have been nurtured and enriched in the soil of this land. This day is a source of pride and a symbol of prosperity for all citizens of Bangladesh. Despite differences in religion or ethnicity, the people of Bangladesh celebrate this cultural identity with grandeur. This is the eternal bond of our unity and harmony.

Dear Bangladesh,

After independence, the celebration of the New Year took on a new spirit. Bengali New Year became a symbol of the secular consciousness of the Bengali nation. However, in 1975, when Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was brutally assassinated along with his family, there was an attempt to erase Bengali cultural identity and revert to a Pakistani ideology. Political toxins were insidiously injected into the realm of culture.

But the Bengali people did not remain silent—they carried forward an unyielding cultural resistance. Every year, the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University organizes the Mangal Shobhajatra, which, on November 30, 2016, was proudly recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

It was the Awami League government that introduced the Boishakhi Allowance for government employees, akin to Eid and Puja bonuses, as part of celebrating this festival.

Dear People of Struggle,

Today, anti-liberation forces have illegally seized power in Bangladesh. They are actively trying to destroy Bengali culture. Whenever anti-independence forces gained control in the past, they attacked the nation’s history, heritage, and culture. They not only tried to stop the Mangal Shobhajatra, but even attempted to change its name.

But the Bengali nation did not accept this. Those who dared to change the name of Mangal Shobhajatra, those who engage in such heinous conspiracies against our heritage and culture, are enemies of the nation, enemies of our culture, enemies of Bangladesh. The people of this country will never let them succeed.

On this Pohela Boishakh, let the hidden patriotism within every citizen awaken for the well-being of the nation. May new doors of possibilities open. Let us drive out the anti-liberation and anti-culture forces, and raise Bangladesh's head high on the global stage.

On this auspicious moment of Bengali New Year, let us commit to rejecting all that is unhealthy, ugly, or part of a distorted culture—and instead, embrace a healthy, beautiful, and creative way of life.

This is our hope for the Bengali New Year.

Joy Bangla. Joy Bangabandhu.
Let the darkness fade, and let there be light.