A dance performance at the newly opened Shilpakala Academy.Photo: STAR

The long awaited building and auditorium of Dinajpur Shilpakala Academy was inaugurated on Tuesday evening with a fitting cultural programme.
Advocate Promod Mankin, State Minister for Cultural Affairs, inaugurated the complex as chief guest. Lawmaker Monoranjanshil Gopal; acting Deputy Commissioner of Dinajpur, Md. Mokbul Hossain and acting Police Superintendent of Dinajpur, Hasan Muhmammad Shawkat Ali, were present as special guests.
Chitta Ghosh and Golam Nabi Dulal, president and secretary of Dinajpur Press Club respectively, also spoke at the inaugural programme.
At a brief discussion, the State Minister said that the cultural heritage of Bangladesh is still a part of every Bangladeshi -- whether in villages or big cities, and the government is determined to uphold our traditions through encouragement and spaces to perform in the form of Shilpakala Academy in every nook and corner of the country.
Around 20 such auditoriums have been built across the country under government incentives, said the State Minister. He added that the government is planning more such cultural complexes in upazila headquarters.
Md. Aminul Islam, district cultural officer of Dinajpur, chaired the discussion.
The auditorium can accommodate 400 people and has an up to date sound system.
After the inaugural session, artistes from the local indigenous community staged a cultural programme at the newly constructed 'Ranbindra-Nazrul' stage.