The “Forest and Life Festival 2026” will be held in Khagrachhari’s Matiranga on 31 October to promote nature conservation, protect biodiversity, and celebrate the culture and heritage of local communities.
Organised by the Pitachhara Forest and Biodiversity Conservation Initiative, the festival will feature traditional games, cultural performances by different ethnic communities, discussions, a stage play, and musical performances. The Business Standard and TBS Graduates are media partners of the event.
The festival will be inaugurated at 2pm at the playground of Khedachhara Government Primary School No 35 in Purba Khedachhara. Khagrachhari MP Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan, Khagrachhari Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Md Anwar Sadat, and BRAC Executive Director Asif Saleh are expected to attend the event.
According to the organisers, the Pitachhara Forest and Biodiversity Conservation Initiative was established to protect forests and biodiversity amid the destruction of natural forests and the shrinking of wildlife habitats.
Spread across 75 acres in the eastern hills, the forest is home to around 150 bird species, 27 snake species, and 20 species of frogs and turtles. It also provides habitat for species such as the slow loris, pangolin, and fishing cat.
The initiative has also established a nursery with 6,000 native trees, the Pitachhara Medical Centre, a library, and a cultural centre.
Mahfuz Ahmed Russell, founder and executive director of the Pitachhara Foundation, told The Business Standard, “Through the Forest and Nature Festival, we want to highlight the relationship between people, forests, wildlife, and nature. At the same time, the event aims to celebrate the culture and heritage of local communities and raise public awareness about nature conservation.”
He said the initiative also seeks to engage public and private institutions and individuals involved in policymaking and efforts to protect wildlife and nature. “We want to exchange ideas, coordinate, and undertake joint initiatives with them to advance our broader goals.”
Award and winners
According to the organisers, the Pitachhara Environmental Awards 2026 will be presented in three categories this year.
Sohel Shyam, an environmental activist from Sreemangal, will receive the Biodiversity Conservation Award. The voluntary organisation “Harirampur Shyamol Nisorgo” from Manikganj will receive the Nature and Environmental Conservation Award. Ritu Parvi, a teacher and environmental activist whose academic name is Parveen Akhtar, will receive the Environment-friendly Community Initiative Award.
Sohel is the founder and chief coordinator of Stand for Our Endangered Wildlife (SEW). He has been working on wildlife conservation independently since 2006 and through his organisation since 2019.
He has played a role in rescuing wildlife, including a critically endangered leopard cat after travelling nearly 300 kilometres from Sunamganj, as well as pangolins, fishing cats, and slow lorises from different areas.
Sohel also works to raise public awareness about wildlife conservation, foster a love of nature among children, and promote the practice of handing rescued animals over to the Forest Department.
Founded on 13 May 2021, Harirampur Shyamol Nisorgo has planted and distributed more than 50,000 trees over the past five years.
Operating under the slogan “Live in green, build a compassionate world”, the organisation works to prevent plastic pollution, conserve native fish, promote natural farming, and raise environmental awareness.
It conducts conservation activities by involving teachers, students, young people and people from different professions. Its activities have expanded beyond Harirampur to various upazilas of Manikganj and remote chars along the Padma.
The organisation also publishes an environmental magazine, “Nisorgopotro”.
Ritu Parvi began working on environmental conservation out of concern over global warming. Her work includes tree planting, conserving rare tree species and biodiversity, and protecting corridors used by endangered Asian elephants.
She has also contributed to efforts to protect the hills and water bodies of Chattogram and the natural environment of Sitakunda.
By involving children, young people and local communities in promoting environmentally friendly lifestyles, she has advanced community-based conservation initiatives. The award recognises her sustained efforts to protect the environment.
The festival
The festival’s first segment, from 2pm to 3pm, will feature traditional games, including ghila, bamboo games, and pot-breaking competitions.
Cultural performances by different ethnic communities will follow from 3pm to 4pm. A discussion, chaired by Russell, and the award distribution ceremony will take place from 4pm to 5:30pm.
Participants will include Dr Zinat Mahrukh Banu, former head of the Department of Anthropology and Decorative Arts at the Bangladesh National Museum; Dr Md Anwarul Islam, chief executive and co-founder of WildTeam and a former professor at the University of Dhaka; Ngyohla Mong, director of the Khagrachhari Hill Tracts Cultural Institute; and Md Abdul Awal Sarkar, conservator of forests in Rangamati.
Following the discussion, the stage play “Aronyer Khoje” will be performed.
The Pitachhara cultural troupe will perform at 6:20pm. The Chattogram-based musical group Agnibina will perform from 7:20pm to 8:20pm, followed by folk music performances by artist Boga Taleb from 8:20pm.
The organisers said the festival aims to foster a connection between life and nature while celebrating the culture and heritage of local communities. They have invited people from all walks of life to attend the event and called on journalists, photographers and videographers to cover the festival.
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