Dhaka, Aug. 26 -- Life in Bangladesh has become rather dull and monotonous across villages, towns, and cities due to vanishing traditional festivals, underscoring a sharp decline in cultural diversity and tolerance.

Once regarded as a land of festivals, with a major festival every season, Bangladesh, home to one of the largest populations, now boasts very few, mostly celebrating the power of the majority.

The disappearance of traditional festivals is a bleak reminder of aggressive urbanisation, replacing rural, agrarian Bangladesh, where rituals and collective activities were central to life not very long ago.

Over the past three decades, Bangladesh has undergone a rapid transformation, with thousands of people leaving villages willing...