TANGAIL, Sept 8, 2026 (BSS) -The once vibrant cultural hub of the district, the historic ‘Bhashani Hall’, is now shrouded in dust, dilapidated walls and the silence of locked rooms. 

Due to years of neglect, lack of maintenance and absence of renovation, the nearly half-century-old ‘Bhashani Hall’ auditorium has now turned into an abandoned building.

Local civil society members and cultural activists recently demanded effective steps to renovate or reconstruct the neglected cultural centre, ‘Bhashani Hall’.

A visit to the site found a wholesale betel-leaf shop operating from the front verandah of the Hall. The entire premise is being used as a truck stand, while homeless people have taken shelter in different parts of the hall.

The ‘Bhashani Hall’ premises, which once remained bustling with theatre, music, dance, poetry, book fairs and various political and social programmes, now turns into a gathering place for criminals and drug users after evening falls. 

This has raised serious concerns over public safety alongside growing apprehension in the district’s cultural community.

Locals alleged that during the day, a betel-leaf shop operates from the hall’s verandah while the premises are used as a truck stand. The situation changes completely in the evening time. As the sun sets, drug users begin to gather, alongside various anti-social activities, creating an intimidating environment.

They said the hall is not merely a structure made of bricks and cement; it is an integral part of Tangail’s cultural identity. 

They stressed that the historic establishment needs to be renovated urgently to preserve the district’s glorious cultural heritage and maintain law and order in the city.

It is learnt that the auditorium, originally known as ‘Tangail Town Hall’, was built on around 35 decimals of land in the heart of the district town. 

Professor Abul Fazal, then adviser to the President on education affairs, laid its foundation stone on August 16, 1976. The auditorium was inaugurated on April 2, 1978 by Khan Alam Khan, the then Divisional Commissioner of Dhaka.

Later, on the initiative of Samsul Haque, the then Chairman of Tangail Municipality, the auditorium was renamed ‘Bhashani Hall’ as a tribute to Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani.

The auditorium, with a seating capacity of around 1,000, was once one of the country’s largest and most attractive cultural centres.

Since then, it became one of the district’s major cultural centres and established itself as a bearer of its unique heritage. However, the historic building, now nearly half a century old, has become unusable due to a lack of renovation. The building was declared abandoned about a decade ago.

Eminent poet and cultural personality Mahmud Kamal told BSS that for several decades the venue had been a major gathering place for Tangail’s theatre, music, recitation, book fairs and political activists. 

He said the previous government also took no initiative to renovate the hall. “Our demand to the present government is that ‘Bhashani Hall’ be reconstructed or renovated,” he said.

Abul Kalam Mustafa Labu, President of the Cultural Reformation Forum, Tangail, told BSS that Tangail is known as a cultural district, but it does not have a beautiful and quality cultural centre.

“The cultural activities that once evolved around ‘Bhashani Hall’ came to an end about a decade ago. Therefore, reconstruction of the hall has become an urgent necessity,” he said.

Mahmudul Haque Sanu, former Member Secretary of Tangail District BNP and grandson of Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, told BSS that renovation of ‘Bhashani Hall’ is now a demand of the time.

He alleged that the hall had remained abandoned for a long time merely because it was named after the ‘Mazlum Jananeta’ Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani.

Kamaluzzaman Khan, General Secretary of Tangail Club, told BSS that Bhashani Hall was once the heart of Tangail’s cultural activities.

“But due to years of neglect, indifference and lack of renovation, the nearly half-century-old hall has now turned into an abandoned building,” he said.

Lawmaker from Tangail-5 constituency and State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salahuddin Tuku told BSS that ‘Bhashani Hall’ was one of the major centres of education, literature and cultural practices in the district.

“Drama, music, discussions and various cultural activities used to be held around this hall. As a result, Tangail gained special recognition across the country as a cultural city. But due to a prolonged lack of proper maintenance and renovation, ‘Bhashani Hall’ has lost its former glory,” he said.

He said the historic building had effectively been left abandoned during the previous “fascist government”. 

As a result, different parts of the building have been damaged and cultural activities came to a halt.

He said he visited the hall on June 12 and expressed his determination to transform ‘Bhashani Hall’ into a modern auditorium very soon to preserve the memory of Maulana Bhashani.