Durga Puja is undoubtedly one of the most sacred festivals in the Bengali calendar, with the five-day long festival slated to conclude today.
This year, for the Sharodiya Durgotsab, Hindus from all over the country will be celebrating this most blessed of days across almost 32,000 puja mandaps, truly lightening up the nation in celebration and merriment.
But Durga Puja, like the Holy Eid, is not meant for Hindus alone, as millions of people from all religious, races, ethnicities, and cultures come together to take part in the celebrations in harmony and peace.
Celebrations such as these go to show to what extent Bangladesh remains a diverse hub of people from all walks of life, from a plethora of religious backgrounds, and how our identity is primarily defined by the fact that we call this great country our home.
This is important to remember.
A glance back into our past may very well reveal incidents of communalism which have torn peaceful communities asunder, based on issues of religion or race.
We must take this Durga Puja as an opportunity to remind ourselves what Bangladesh’s values truly are, that of secularism, democracy, and equality -- values upon which the nation was founded 48 years ago.
It is only through understanding our diversity that we can truly accomplish all that we want as a nation, for it is our diversity and communal harmony which provides us with the plethora of experiences which strengthen us, and which drives us forward.
We wish our readers a blessed Durga Puja.
