For actress Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed, the festival is about love and unity. “My desire to celebrate is always there,” she says. “Given my work, I usually collaborate with friends from Charukola, theatre colleagues, and younger artists from Gen Z.”

Her love for Charukola began in childhood. “I would see it only on TV. Even my family didn’t allow me inside. But the colors, the energy, the festival itself drew me in. Eventually, that attraction led me to enroll there. Pahela Baishakh belongs to everyone—it brings people together to celebrate culture without discrimination or hierarchy.” 

Becoming a student at Charukola added a sense of responsibility. Preparing alpana, organizing the Mongol Shobhajatra, and guiding young artists became part of her journey. Motherhood added another layer: introducing her daughter to the festival and sharing the experience with differently-abled participants, many of whom cannot visit Dhaka, gives her a unique perspective. “Explaining the songs ‘Mela Jaire’ or ‘Esho He Boishakh’ to visually impaired friends is a very special feeling,” she says. 

For Nawshaba, Pahela Baishakh is multifaceted—celebrated as a mother, an art therapist, an actress, and simply as a human being. Childhood memories at her grandparents’ house in Tikatuli, living alongside families of different faiths, reinforced her sense of equality. “Studying at Charukola strengthened that further. 
The person next to me was simply an artiste—it didn’t matter who they were.” These observations influence her artistic work. 

“Portraying Radha in a project with climate refugees, or designing photo stories, I draw from the understanding of diverse people and traditions. Pahela Baishakh taught me to see the nuances in humanity.” 

The festival, she believes, is about letting go of differences and surrendering to art, nature, and humanity. “Whether it’s alpana, songs, flower garlands, or the rising sun, the experience at Charukola is immersive. Watching children, teachers, and friends come together for the Mongol Shobhajatra is joy in its purest form.” 

She marvels at the enthusiasm the festival inspires: families visiting Charukola, painting faces, dressing beautifully, and participating wholeheartedly. “Pahela Baishakh shows the best of our culture. There’s no discrimination—no one asks who is a laborer, a businessman, a Hindu, or a Muslim. Everyone comes together, celebrates, and enjoys. That’s what I love the most.”