Biswa Ijtema, Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the country in south asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma (Myanmar) to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south. The capital is Dhaka, which is the hub of all cultural, political and religious affairs. Together with the Indian state of West Bengal, it makes up the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. The name Bangladesh means "Country of Bengal" in the official Bengali language. Many Bengali people are of Burmese decent, due to some Burmese immigrants fleeing from Burma at the time of the Burmese War. Bangladesh has a very strong relationships and story with their neighborhood country, india. The strory of bangladesh begun when their people to try to separate from India Due to political exclusion, ethnic and linguistic discrimination, and economic neglect by the politically-dominant West Pakistan.  It is very long journey story untill this country declare their independence at 1947. We are not going to talking about how they reach their precious freedom. We are going to visiting the biggest festival of moslem gathering in the world after hajj. we are going to travel to see Biswa Ijtema.

Preparation of three dyas Bisma Ijtema.

 Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim nation with about 88% of her people being Muslims.  That would translate about 114 million Muslims.  Therefore, the ranking of Bangladesh would be the fourth largest nation to have Muslims after Indonesia, Pakistan, and India.  Nonetheless, this nation does not behave like a Muslim Ummah (community) because in terms of corruption and crime it heads the list.  If the people of Bangladesh had taken the religion Islam seriously, then the crime rate and the rampant corruption would be way down.  Consequently, the nation would be spared from the shame of being known as the nation of thieves and unscrupulous office workers and politicians.  Therefore, going to Bishwa Ijtema to receive blessing from Allah for Akherat or afterworld does not make any sense.  Period.  That is the sole reason why this scribe thinks that we should label the event simply as a charade.

Million people gathered for 3 days.

Some people believe that this gathering of Moslem festival begun at 1946. Biswa Ijtema is an annual Tablighi Jamaat Islamic movement congregation held at Tongi, Bangladesh by the river Turag. The event focuses on prayers and meditation and does not allow political discussion. And this congregation held usually in 20 – 23 January. The local police estimated the number of attendees of 2007 ijtema to be 3 million while in 2010 the number of attendees was 5 million. This gathering festival is very worth it to be seen because the crowded will bring you a lot of sensation. When you saw Rio De Jeneiro festival maybe it is already usual. But “religion” festival that would be very amazing to be seen.

Bishwa Ijtema is a unique event, as it is a gathering that focuses solely on prayer and meditation, and is not open for political discussions. All the political talking and issue will be pause for a moment. It is prohibited to talk about political or any daily life issue. Muslim followers come to the gathering, located on the Turag River near Dakar, to receive blessings and interact with the throng of followers that descend on the Ijtema grounds. It is estimated that the number of attendees to the 2007 Bishwa Ijtema neared 3 million. It provides many with the opportunity to study the Qur’an and listen to various sermons. Attendees can use the three days of the Bishwa Ijtema to concentrate on their religion and explore aspects of it that they are not familiar with. Seeing so many people gathering in one place with one aim to be reached is very undeniable. Join three days with 3 million – 5 million people around that would be awesome.

It is the perfect medium of religious education, spiritual adulation, meditation, blessings and exaltation. Although political views, beliefs and negotiations are not permitted to be discussed or explored, many have questioned the attendance of high ranking officials and delegates to the gathering, who are known to be inactive in their religion and whose political decisions and way of rule does not promote or agree with the Muslim religion. But their presence does not concern devotees who attend Bishwa Ijtema for their own personal enrichment. They hardly notice the difference between those who are there to worship and those who are there with ulterior motives.

When million people entering Dhaka.

Of all the religious festivals in Bangladesh, Bishwa Ijtema is the most important event to attend. Muslim worshipers congregate on a stretch of land that is approximately 160 acres in size, and live primitively, yet peacefully between the throngs of people. Accommodation requirements are minimal for devotees, as they come focused on religion and prayer, not on five-star living arrangements. Food is cooked and provided on site, and sanitary facilities are available. Bishwa Ijtema is a peaceful gathering of worshippers that come to seek guidance, blessings and spiritual fulfillment. Due to the constant threat of extremist groups, the event is patrolled by thousands of policemen and law enforcement members, to ensure the safety of attendees, and three tranquil days of praise.

Despite the large number of devotees living within a confined space, generally there is very few problems of sanitation, cooking, and internal movements. It is believed to be possible because of the minimalist approach adopted by the devotees. Devotees have reduced their own requirements and developed a respect for others' requirements. But thats okey, this moslem “Parade” only held once time in every year so it is very.

How to get to Tongi, Gazipur, Dhaka Division to see this Parade

There are three international airports in Bangladesh. Osmani International (ZYL) in Sylhet, Patenga (CGP) in Chittagong and Zia International Airport (DAC) in Dhaka. Zia International Airport (02-819 4350) is the busiest of the three. Located 12km north of the city centre, on the road to Uttara, it doesn’t have ‘gateway to the world’ written on it, but it does have a bank, some duty-free shops and a couple of restaurants. If you already arrive at Zia International airport you only need to out from airport and you will see Dhaka, Dhaka is kind like province and Tongi was here where this parade held so no need to go to the other city.

For a long time Bangladesh had only one major airline, Biman. The US Federal Aviation Administration has classified Biman as category two, which means that it is not in absolute compliance with international aviation safety standards. They run domestic flights between Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet, and internationally throughout South and Southeast Asia and occasionally even to Europe. Privately run GMG Airlines is a newer, brighter and better option. It links Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Cox’s Bazaar, Barisal and Jessore, but internationally it only serves South and Southeast Asia. GMG has just been joined by United Airways, which runs an almost identical service, in equally good planes, as GMG. In 2007 two new airlines, funded by British and Bangladeshi businessmen, took to the skies. These are Best Air and Royal Bengal. At the time of writing it seemed that both were offering very limited internal services, and the much-hyped London–Bangladesh route seems to have quietly vanished from the advertising hype.

Dont you ever think to use train.

 

Or dont you ever think use boat.

 When you already in Tongi, Gazipur. There are so many hotel or placed you can live temporary. So no need to worry about you dont have place as long as you there. One thing that you have considered because this “parade” will be followed by a million people, always make sure that you arrive as soon as possible to get best quality cheap hotel for you. 

Enjoy your travel.

Posted in: Bangladesh