Palmyra fruit festival 2025 at AUW celebrates sustainability, culture and women’s leadership

The Asian University for Women (AUW) came alive with colors, flavors, and rhythms on Sunday as it hosted the Palmyra Fruit Festival 2025. Organized by the Green Bangle Project with support from the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, the event turned the AUW campus into a vibrant space of ecological awareness, cultural celebration, and women’s empowerment.

The festival opened with a lively flashmob by the AUW Dance Club, setting an energized tone for the afternoon. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was led by AUW Registrar Brigadier General Md. Salahuddin Ahmed alongside Amzad Hossain, founder of Sonapahar Farmhouse Resort. In his remarks, Dr. Mosae Selvakumar Paulraj underscored AUW’s commitment to connecting education with sustainability and social responsibility.

Tradition and Community Spirit

A central highlight of this year’s festival was the symbolic exchange of traditional pitha desserts. Sonapahar Farmhouse Resort gifted Palmyra Cakes (Taaler Pitha) while women from Sitakundu presented Palmyra Rose Cookies (Taaler Fuljhuri Pitha). These sweet offerings were more than delicacies—they represented cultural exchange, generosity, and the community spirit at the heart of the Green Bangle Project. The gesture echoed the ecological and social symbolism of the Palmyra tree, long revered as a source of unity, resilience, and sustenance.

The festival also drew attention to ongoing reforestation initiatives at Gulia Khali Beach, highlighting the critical role of women in environmental stewardship and community health.

A Feast of Cultures and Ideas

Adding culinary diversity, AUW students from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, East Timor, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Cambodia prepared more than 20 traditional and innovative dishes featuring palmyra fruit. This intercultural culinary showcase reflected both the rich diversity of AUW’s student body and the untapped potential of the palmyra tree in sustainable food systems.

Professor Mosae Selvakumar enriched the academic dimension of the festival with a thought-provoking lecture on the symbolism of male and female palmyra trees. He compared the productivity of the female tree to the vital role of women in society, economy, and ecology.

Creative Collaboration

Exhibitions, performances, and games added further vibrancy, with contributions from AUW’s Art Club, Culinary Chef Club, Student Government, and Office of Student Activities. The palmyraculture research team—led by Assistant Project Manager Shaika Mohammad Chowdhury—played a key role in planning and executing the event under Dr. Mosae’s supervision.

A Beacon of Sustainability

The Palmyra Fruit Festival 2025 ultimately blended tradition, innovation, and environmental action. It reinforced the palmyra tree’s enduring cultural and ecological significance in South Asia, while also elevating women’s leadership as central to sustainable futures. For AUW’s students, researchers, and partners, the festival was more than a celebration—it was a statement of resilience, community, and hope.