Shuvo Nababarsha. Happy Bangla New Year to you all. Let the new Bangla New Year 1420 bring you peace, happiness and prosperity in your life.

In Bangladesh, the Bangla New Year is celebrated on the 14th day of April across the country with a great deal of fervour. The day is a national holiday. Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Baishakh (the first month of the Bangla calendar) is welcomed with due festivities which have become a vital part of the country’s culture. The celebrations begin with and musical soirees taking place at various places of the city. People from all walks of life, dressed in white and red traditional attire, gather to celebrate the occasion.

In this issue we have highlighted rickshaws, the most eco-friendly mode of transport, which require no fuel at all and does not pollute. Rickshaws were introduced in Dhaka around 1938. Rickshaws of the city, specially their seats and back panels, are decorated with beautiful designs. Made locally, it help save a lot of precious foreign exchange. Rickshaws, which account for more than half of the city’s transport vehicles, contribute roughly 34 per cent of the total value added by the transportation sector of Bangladesh. Every day, seven million passenger trips are made in Dhaka by rickshaw over a distance of 11 million passenger miles.

On your next visit to Dhaka, take time off to ride these rickshaws and purchase scale models of these vehicles, to take back sweet memories home.

Wish you a pleasent stray in Dhaka and have a nice time.

Kazi Wahidul Alam
Editor 
Dhaka Calling