A three-day programme to commemorate the 127th death anniversary of Baul Samrat Lalon Shah, the most prominent figure in Bangladesh’s baul tradition, will start on Monday. The Lalon Academy and Kushtia district administration are jointly organising the festival with the Cultural Ministry’s assistance. Fakir Mohammad Ali Shah, the caretaker of Lalon’s shrine, said they had been organising the festival since Lalon’s death. Security has been ratcheted up ahead of the festival to avoid any untoward incidents like last year, when miscreants attacked and killed several followers of Lalon. Lalon Academy president and Kushtia’s Deputy Commissioner Md Zahir Raihan said preparations had been taken to ensure safety of the festival’s participants.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 16, 2017 07:30 UTC