Traditional ‘Lathi Khela’ held in Sarail

With an aim to keep young people from the scourge of drug abuse, a festival of ‘Lathi Khela' (a traditional form of Bangladeshi martial art using sticks) was held in Brahmanbaria's Sarail upazila on Friday.

Hundreds of people joined the festival on Friday afternoon at Sayedtola village under Sadar union in the upazila as famous lathial groups presented their spectacular performance.

The lathial ‘sardars’ (the stick fighters) in their colourful attires enthusiastically mesmerized the crowd with rhythmic sparring to drum beats.

While talking to this correspondent, some Lathi Khela-loving people said, “We saw lathi khela with our fathers when we were children. The beauty of it cannot be expressed in words. We feel like we have returned to our childhood. The beauty of village traditions comes alive in this Lathi Khela. Such events should be organized regularly.”

Advocate Nuruzzaman Lasker Tapu, Brahmanbaria district BNP's law affairs secretary and Sarail upazila BNP’s general secretary, as chief guest presented gifts among the lathials. Sarail upazila BNP’s organizing secretary Dulal Mahmud Ali, Sadar BNP’s president Md Kazal Member, Sarail upazila Jubo Dal joint Convener Nurul Amin Master, Siddique Ali, Ripon Thakur, Mizan Mia, Jahad Ali and others were present at the programme with Nurul Haque Mia in the chair.