Sh@won's photostream

Charak puja is a traditional Bengali festival celebrated mainly in the rural areas. A festival dedicated strictly to penance, Charak puja stands unique in the scenario of Bengali festivals. The groups of men and women, who take up this Brata or the time bound ritual, have to go through a month long fasting from sunrise to sunset, live strictly on fruits & perform daily worship in order to get the blessings of the lord.

On the day of the Charak or the Gajan, as it is also called, bamboo stages are made on bamboo poles, the height ranging from 10 to 15 feet. What follows is macabre, yet fascinating. After the month long penance the devotees step up the high bamboo stage & hurl themselves forward. The festival not only reflects blind faith but also the eagerness to accept penance on the road to achieve salvation.

The Shahbag Mass Movement of 2013 in Bangladesh began on Tuesday February 5th, 2013 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with the demand of capital punishment for Abdul Quader Mollah and all the other accused war criminals of the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh. Abdul Quader Mollah was charged with abetting the Pakistani army; actively participating in the 1971 atrocities in Bangladesh; rape (including the rape of minors); and mass murder of Bangladeshis in the Mirpur area of Dhaka during the Liberation War of Bangladesh. The many grievous attrocities committed by Abdul Quader Mollah during the Liberation War of Bangladesh earned him the nickname of Mirpurer Koshai (Butcher of Mirpur). On February 5, 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh sentenced Mollah to life in prison after he was proved guilty in five out of the six charges against him. Within hours of the verdict, mass discontent broke out in Bangladesh where most people were expecting capital punishment for Mollah. The bloggers and online activists gave voice to the public opinion and called for a mass demonstration at the Shahbag intersection in central Dhaka. People from all walks of life spontaneously joined the protest and the demonstration culminated into the 2013 Shahbag movement. The intersection is currently being referred to as Projonmo Chottor 'New Generation Circle' in English - after the new generation credited with initiating such a spontaneous yet robust movement. It has also been referred to as Shahbag Square in a nod to the historic and revolutionary events which unfolded in Tahrir Square in Egypt. Thousands have been holding day and night vigils at Shahbag refusing to leave until Mollah gets capital punishment.