Kicking off into the New Year

Kicking off into the New Year Chhayanaut organises a programme at the Dhaka's Ramna Batamul at dawn on Thursday to welcome in the Bengali New Year 1418. The final stage preparations for traditional colourful procession 'Mongol Shobha Jatra' on the eve of Pahela Baishakh at the Institute of Fine Art at Dhaka University. People from across the broad social spectrum join the traditional colourful procession 'Mongol Shobha Jatra' taken out from the Bangla Academy premises in Dhaka on Thursday. People from across the broad social spectrum join the traditional colourful procession 'Mongol Shobha Jatra' taken out from the Bangla Academy premises in Dhaka on Thursday. A foreigner gets his cheek inscribed with 'Shubha Nababarsha'—the New Year's greetings—during celebrations of Bengali New Year 1418 at Ramna Batamul in Dhaka on Thursday. New Year '1418' is on at full blast Photo: Razaul karim The first rays of the sun on Thursday rang in Bengali New Year 1418 as people in their hundreds of thousands began celebrating the event with colourful festivity. UPDATES  An autist artist shines PM's card Prez, PM, Khaleda greet nation 'Resist assault on Bengali heritage' Hilsa 'flies' on new year demand Newspaper holiday on Thursday Traffic restrictions on some city roads No smoking at celebration venues