East West University Sociology Club (SCEWU) has organized a webinar entitled “Nobanner Ahwbane” to celebrate the renowned Bengali festival ‘Nobanno’ on 26th November 2020. 

The occasion was graced by Dr. A.I. Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Dhaka, and by Dr. Fouzia Mannan, Dean, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, EWU. 

'Nobanner Ahwbane' was inaugurated with the beautiful Tagore song 'Anondolokey Mongolalokey' (In the abode of bliss, in the abode of benevolence…). 

At the beginning of the program, Dr. Fouzia Mannan firstly thanked SCEWU for arranging such a program and then pointed out that the 'Nobanno', as a vital part of Bengali culture, is under extreme threat because of globalization. Hence, we all should continue the celebration through different academic and cultural practices. 

As the Chief Guest of the program, Professor, Dr. A. I. Mahbub Uddin Ahmed discussed the origin, present situation and state of Nobanno in Bengal and the Indian subcontinent.  He mentioned that in the era of rapid modernization, and globalization, Nobanno has become a fragmented imagination of the middle class that takes them to confront the complexities of 'identity crisis'. However, the interplay of this issue depends highly on the intellectual and cultural ability of the newer generations. 

Throughout the whole program, the festivity of Bengal's rural society has been depicted by academic discussion and cultural arrangements. After the lively discussions, the artists of the cultural floor portrayed the landscape and festive vibe of Nobanno through paintings, recitation, singing, and dancing. 

At the end of the Cultural session, in her thanksgiving speech, Manzuma Ahsan, Moderator of SCEWU, took inspiration from the Bangladesh National Anthem for making a connotation with Nobanno, and denoted the festival as a form of our existence. Lastly, she thanked all the eminent guests and every participant for making the event successful.