The National Poetry Festival got off to a festive start in the capital yesterday.

Poet Shamsur Rahman formally inaugurated the two-day poetry fair organised by the National Poetry Council (NPC) for the 16th time now.

The rendezvous of poets is being staged in the Central Library area and Sharakdeep of TSC on the Dhaka University campus in the vicinities of Ekushey Book Fair that also began yesterday.

NPC activists, participating poets and cultural activists brought out a colourful rally after the inaugural function highlighting the theme -poetry's victory in the passage of time. The procession paraded TSC and Saheed Minar areas and concluded at the venue.

(Details on Culture page)