Cultural orgs seek withdrawal of bar on masks, duration restriction

Sammilita Sangskritik Jote yesterday demanded that the government withdraw the restrictions on celebration of Pahela Baishakh.

The government on April 3 imposed a ban on wearing masks in "Mongol Shobhajatra", a procession, on the Dhaka University campus on security grounds. Restrictions on carrying matches, lighters and handbags at the Bangla new year celebration were also imposed over similar concern.

It also banned vuvuzela as it creates a high-pitched unpleasant sound and asked all to complete all programmes on the day by 5:00pm.

The jote President Golam Kuddus at a gathering at TSC said since the ban was imposed, they started getting phone calls from different cultural organisations across the country as, according to them, it would not be possible for them to finish programmes by 5:00pm.

Requesting the government to withdraw the time restriction, Kuddus said they otherwise would be forced to break it.

He said if the law enforcers could not provide them security after 5:00pm then they did not need it but requested them not to create any obstacle in their programme.

Kuddus, however, appreciated the restriction on vuvuzelas.

"Mask is the part of our culture and it is also a universal component in different festivals of our culture, we cannot cancel it from the festival," said Nasiruddin Yousuff Bachchu, former president of the jote.