From the moment I walked thru the neon entrance tunnel and stepped into the originate-air home of Aloki, I knew the organisers ‘Rishka Connect’ had done something special with the ‘Rishka Pageant’— their first flagship tournament.
The tunnel itself used to be a kaleidoscope of red and blue, the good-attempting hues guiding me as I emerged on the more than a couple of side – greeted by what felt cope with a childhood reminiscence.
I used to be at once greeted by rows of meals stalls adorned with colourful banners and a younger crowd of of us exuding youthful vitality as they greeted every other, took selfies, and bought lost in laughter and conversation in the company of family and pals.
The Rishka Pageant at Aloki from 29 to 30 November used to be Rishka Connect’s strive to showcase the depth of Bangla culture by curating local cuisine, art, song and merchandise, seamlessly incorporating them into one colossal home for folks to admire and indulge in an even time.
As I took in the ambiance around me, I used to be reminded of gala’s that I’d test with with my oldsters when I used to be younger. The entirety around me to this level felt cope with a deliberate change by the festival organisers to harken abet to the easy needs of our childhood, highlighting the thrill of our culture to evoke nostalgia.
The founder and Managing Director of Rishka Connects, Riedwan Mehrab spoke about his inspiration for the festival. “The crew at the abet of Rishka Connects indulge in all been rather eager with Bangla culture for years. Particular person contributors had been all for runt artworks, rickshaw art work, making dolls or putuls and more. So, the Rishka Pageant used to be born out of our desire to bring all those parts of our culture collectively in one subject.”
When I entered the constructing next to the major hall, I used to be greeted by breathtaking art that comprises local artists. Dinky art work by artist and curator Ishrat Rouf had been displayed on the wall, showcasing females in sarees, Bengal tigers and more.
Subsequent, I went to the stall in the corner by the ‘BD Rickshaw Art Gallery’. This stall used to be a cope with trove of nostalgia and artistry, showcasing incandescent art work of dilapidated movie banners that transported me abet to the upper days of Bangla cinema.
Alongside these dauntless, dramatic art work had been shrimp painted rickshaws, tea kettles and various various trinkets, every a little masterpiece brimming with the charm of Dhaka’s bustling streets. A active crowd had gathered right here, their faces lit with admiration as they took in the intricate facts and placing colours.
This hall additionally supplied a workshop by Clay Goal the build of us would maybe indulge in pottery, but the most spectacular and sight-catching workshop belonged to the Prothiba Foundation. They had a rickshaw on the floor that folks had been encouraged to reach collectively and paint.
The aggregate of various of us’s contributions to the rickshaw painting left the rickshaw positively brimming with splashes of coloration – it used to be for walk a see to think.
I then made my ability to the bottom floor of the major hall which used to be turned loyal into a bazaar of needs. The market used to be stuffed with unique and full of life stalls and drew in a spread of of us. Ranging from cultural merchandise cope with painted lanterns to deshi clothes, the stalls had something for everyone.
Riedwan supplied insight into his job for picking the distributors, “We had been very choosy with our stalls. We wished those that represented Bangla culture. Good as you saw outside with candyfloss, rickshaw painted merchandise and quite loads of others, right here we additionally picked cultural clothes retail outlets that sell salwar kameez, local jewellery and quite loads of others. We wished it to be an exhibition of our culture.”
Two retail outlets truly stood out to me, even handed one of which used to be Moksh Massages. It looked various from the others, so I spoke with Anashua, the proprietor. She shared, “I’ve struggled with chronic physique anxiousness, but couldn’t salvage the merely treatments right here. So, I trained in Cambodia and commenced this enterprise. I’m planning to go to Vietnam rapidly for more practicing.”
The various store that stood out used to be Beaded. Beaded used to be created by Anisa Murshed who makes handmade beads and holds a Guinness world file for the longest beads threaded by an individual in one hour.
Anisa acknowledged, “I had been making beads since I used to be 10. People indulge in all the time suggested me to originate my own store, but I below no circumstances even handed it until Covid. That is when I attempted to pickle the Guinness World File.”
The band ‘Indalo’ used to be the highlight of the 2nd night. The 2nd floor of the major hall used to be faded earlier in the day for screening the movie “Daruchini Dip.” Rishka Pageant went all out for this, even bringing in a popcorn machine, harking abet to a movie theatre.
On the change hand, because the night rolled on, the theatre used to be reworked so that Indalo would maybe blueprint end centre stage.
Residing up to their reputation, Indalo electrified the group with a magical efficiency in an unplugged setting. One of many highlights used to be once they carried out “Ekanto Golap”, a tune that had apt reach out a couple of months ago in April 2024. The energised crowd danced to the song and sang alongside to the band’s efficiency.
After a lengthy day, Indalo managed to mesmerize the group and ship them home elated.
