Janmashtami being celebrated in Bangladesh

The festival of Janmashtami marking the birth of Lord Krishna is being celebrated by the Hindu community in Bangladesh on Thursday. Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad and Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee have organised a three-day programme at the historic Dhakeshwari temple in Dhaka.
It includes prayer and Geeta Joggo at the temple on Thursday. On Friday, the Janmashtami procession will be taken out. On August 20, Saturday, a discussion will be held.
Other prominent Krishna temples in the city affiliated to the ISKON will hold the procession and puja on Friday, August 19 to celebrate Janmashtami.
Other cities and towns of Bangladesh are also celebrating Janmashtami with religious fervour and devotion to Lord Sri Krishna.
The day is a public holiday in Bangladesh. President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued messages on this occasion.
Greeting the Hindu community on the occasion of Janmashtami, President Hamid called Lord Krihna a symbol of humanity and a social reformer. He said that the main philosophy of Lord Krishna was to forge the bond of true love and harmony among people, remove injustice, repression, persecution and conflicts from society.
Quoting from Hindu scriptures the President said that Lord Sri Krishna takes birth in all ages to safeguard the religious and good people and annihilate sins and malevolence. President Hamid called upon the people to keep intact the communal harmony and mutual amity among the communities.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her message said that Sri Krishna upheld the flag of peace and love for humanity and justice throughout his life. She said that the main objective of Lord Krishna’s life was to establish amity and friendship among people. She said that Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony where people of all castes and creeds have been living in harmony for ages.
Prime Minister Hasina said that the constitution grants equal rights to people of all communities and we believe that religion is for individuals and festivals are for all. She assured that the government is pledge-bound to maintain communal harmony in the country.
She said that the ideals and teachings of Sri Krishna would further consolidate the thousand-year-old communal harmony and bond of friendship of the Bengalis.