This year’s Lalon death anniv event cancelled

The 131st death anniversary programme of philosopher-poet-song composer Fakir Lalon Shah, attended by thousands on October 17 each year, will not be organised this year at his shrine in Chheuria of Kushtia.

The philosopher's death anniversary last year and the 'Dol Utsab' -- organised at the shrine on March 28 to celebrate his birth anniversary -- this year were also cancelled due to health rules imposed to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.

Taking the coronavirus situation into consideration, the executive committee of Lalon Academy, at its meeting held on October 7, made the decision unanimously in favour of cancelling this year's death anniversary programme at the shrine, said Mohammad Saidul Islam, deputy commissioner (DC) of Kushtia, at a press conference on October 12.

About four to five lakh people including followers, admirers and researchers from home and abroad gather at the shrine on such occasions, but government restrictions on public gatherings -- for containing the spread of the coronavirus outbreak -- are still in force, as "the current situation is not conducive to holding a large gathering," the DC also said.

The DC of Kushtia is the ex officio president of Lalon Academy -- an elected body that administers and oversees all events and activities at the shrine of Lalon. An un-elected ad hoc committee is currently conducting activities of the academy.

Meanwhile, irked by the unanticipated decision, many Bauls and Lalon disciples said they already arrived in Chheuria to attend the death anniversary programme, but now they were having difficulty finding accommodation near the shrine.  

Fakir Alauddin Shah, a Baul who is a regular at programmes at Chheuria, said the restriction on entry to the shrine is hurtful to followers of Lalon.