This cross-religious invocation stands as testimony to the inherent pluralism of this deltaic region, which is not just a confluence of rivers from the east, the west, and the north, but also a land that has witnessed the convergence of belief systems from far and wide. These are age-old practices that are well-documented and corroborated. In 1917, Rai Saheb Dineshchandra Sen, in his "Lectures delivered to the Calcutta University" asserts,
"Songs of Manasa Devi are sung by professional Muhammadan minstrels in Mymensingh and other districts [of Eastern Bengal]."
Unfortunately, we cannot deny the fact that culture is now a primary "site for struggle", with plurality, as mentioned above, and cultural diversity coming under the two-pronged threat of fundamentalist forces and the "market" operated by transnational capital. These threats are a matter of urgent concern. From our history, we know that the State is a cultural construct. Any threat to culture adversely effects cultural attributes like tolerance, plurality, etc. which inform and help to achieve a State's goals of social progress, national unity, and diversity. Under these circumstances, safeguarding culture is of utmost importance.