Diplomats from India, the US, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and other countries join Puja celebrations
Members of the diplomatic community in Bangladesh joined Durga Puja celebrations at temples and pandals in Dhaka and other parts of the country, extending greetings to the Hindu community and highlighting religious diversity and communal harmony.
Diplomatic representatives attended festivities, exchanged greetings with devotees and took part in cultural programmes, underscoring the role of cultural engagement in promoting mutual respect and understanding among communities.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said all citizens of Bangladesh enjoy equal rights regardless of their religious identity, stressing that national identity matters more than distinctions between majority and minority communities.
“Majority or minority is not the issue. The only thing that matters is that you are Bangladeshi,” he said while visiting the JM Sen Hall Puja mandap in Chattogram on Tuesday.
He recalled that people of different faiths fought together in the 1971 War of Liberation without distinguishing between Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians.
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi joined celebrations at several venues in the capital, including Jagannath Hall at the University of Dhaka, Dhakeshwari National Temple, Ramna Kali Mandir and the Gulshan-Banani Sarbajanin Puja Foundation.
He exchanged greetings with devotees, students and organisers. On Maha Ashtami, he inaugurated the distribution of Mahaprasad at Dhakeshwari National Temple and later visited the Durga Puja pandal at Uttara Sarbojanin Temple.
Deputy High Commissioner Pawan Badhe also attended an Aarti Competition at Dhakeshwari Temple, where performers of different age groups presented the traditional Dhanuchi dance to the beats of the dhak.
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T Christensen joined celebrations at Sarbajanin Puja Mandap in Amlapara and greeted the Hindu community in Bengali, saying, “Sobaike Sharadiya Subeccha.”
Swiss Ambassador Reto Renggli attended celebrations at the Kumudini Welfare Trust in Tangail, describing the festival as a reflection of Bangladesh’s social, cultural and religious diversity.
Norwegian Ambassador Håkon Arald Gulbrandsen, Canadian High Commissioner Ajit Singh and Swedish Ambassador Nicolas Weeks also joined the festivities alongside embassy colleagues.
The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Dhaka extended its greetings, expressing hope that the festival would remind people of the importance of peace, harmony, inclusiveness and mutual respect.
Weeks attended celebrations in Banani, Dhaka, and wished the community a happy Durga Puja, expressing hope that the festival would bring happiness and prosperity to all.
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands extended its wishes to the Hindu community in Bangladesh and around the world, while the Embassy of France in Bangladesh also wished celebrants a joyful and peaceful festival.
The Australian High Commission in Dhaka said its representatives had joined celebrations across the country, experiencing the warmth and hospitality associated with the occasion.
It highlighted the role of culture in bringing people together and strengthening connections across communities.
Sharadiya Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of Bangladesh’s Hindu community, concludes on Wednesday with Bijoya Dashami.
The festival features days of worship, cultural performances and community gatherings at temples and temporary pandals across the country.
Beyond its religious significance, it provides an opportunity for people of different backgrounds to celebrate culture, tradition and coexistence.