Dhaka: Charukola, the premises of Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University, became the meeting place of thousands of colourful hearts of the urban city on Tuesday on the occasion of Pohela Falgun, the first day of Spring, with poetry, music, dance and colours.

Being one of the liveliest festivals of the country, Pahela Falgun attracted huge crowd on DU campus, specially ‘Bakultola’, the hub of all festivals of the campus.

Thousands of people from all walks of life came to the place to welcome the season of freshness wearing colourful attire and flowers.

Jatiya Basanta Utsab Udjapan Parishad organised a cultural programme at Bakultola which began early in the morning followed by colourful procession, dances and songs which ended around 10:00am.

The Parishad has been organising the programme since 1401 to celebrate the seasonal festival, said Shafi Ahmed, one of the organisers of the event.

As nature is fading away from the urban life, we started this practice to welcome the first day of the Spring following the tradition of Shantiniketon introduced by Rabindranath Tagore so that people can enjoy and celebrate the day every year and get bound in the bond of love and colours, he added.

‘Spring is the season of love and colours. We sacrificed lives to protect our language in this month’ said Freedom Fighter Krishna Raman, another organiser of the programme.

All these things make this day closer to the people, she added.

However, after the dryness of winter, people welcome the day with flowers, floral headbands, colourful bangles, music and dances.

According to the visitors, after the dullness of winter, spring brings new hope, new promise and new aspirations to the life.

Falgun is the eleventh month in the Bengali calendar and the first month of the Spring season, the king of all six seasons in the Bengali calendar that brings back warm sunshine, budding flowers and dancing birds.

The first of Falgun is known as Pahela Falgun and usually falls on February 13 of the Gregorian calendar.