Bengali New Year in Dhaka. Photo: Chantal Anderson

When I was walking down the streets of Dhaka,  I saw thousands of people swarming the streets in red and white. The men were wearing panjabis, the women were wearing traditional sarees, red and white, gold bengals halfway up their arms,  there were sounds I’d never heard all at once,  it was pure chaos, kazoos, drums, the sound of sugar cane  machines  thumping when they pressed the juice, children screaming, men singing traditional folk songs,  it was amazing!

Throughout the day there were spontaneous drum circles of Bangladeshis just getting together and singing. A local friend of mine, Fahima Durrat told me about the spirit of the festival.

Read the full story