Pirganj (Thakurgaon) Correspondent:

The identity of Pirganj Upazila has long been not only geography or census — it has been a living library of regional folk culture, stage plays, poetry meetings and festivals. Local fairs, school-college gatherings, cultural evenings of public clubs — all these things combined, Pirganj was sometimes known as a ‘cultural hangout’. In the expansion of this traditional identity, the picture of Pirganj’s history and cultural flow can be found in the explanation as a whole.

Pirganj Press Club is the center of local journalism and cultural activities; the important role of Pirganj Press Club in organizing union-upazila discussion meetings, drama-hangouts and memorial festivals is well known. Its permanent presence is evident in the annual events of the Press Club and historical records.

Pirganj Upazila has always been known as a hotbed of culture. The Pirganj Press Club here became the center of music, drama, recitation, painting and literary activities. Although it was an organization of journalists, it was not only a place to present news—it was the center of Pirganj's cultural movement.
The way Pirganj Press Club has spread the light of society and culture in the past four decades is a historical tradition not only for the people of the upazila, but also for the entire Thakurgaon district.
In the early 1980s, journalism in Pirganj had not yet developed in an organized form. News workers, teachers and culture lovers came up with the idea of ​​creating a platform where news, culture and social consciousness would develop together.
The Pirganj Press Club was born from this idea.

Since its establishment, the Pirganj Press Club has become known not only as a press conference or a meeting place for journalists, but as a "house of knowledge and culture". Inspired by the trend of independence and free consciousness, this organization began to inspire the local young generation to pursue art and literature.

A major role of the Pirganj Press Club was to patronize local cultural organizations. Udichi Shilpi Gosthi, Prothom Alo Bandhushaba, Samakal Sangskriti Gosthi, Diganta Shilpi Gosthi—all were connected to the Press Club in one way or another.

Udichi Shilpi Gosthi (Pirganj Branch) is the local branch of the nationally vibrant Udichi; Udichi activities have also been carried out in rural and urban Pirganj in the vein of independence, public awakening and cultural movements. This organization, which believes in the spirit of the Liberation War and humanity, has promoted the creativity of the youth of Pirganj for a long time through songs, plays, recitations and paintings.

Prothom Alo Bandhushaba (Pirganj Branch) became a beacon as a symbol of the new generation's reading habits, creativity and humanitarian initiatives. They regularly organized book reading festivals, blood donation programs, cultural programs and debate competitions.

Samakal Sangskriti Gosthi created a new wave of creativity in Pirganj as a platform for local young artists to perform music, plays and recitations. They play a role in raising social awareness by staging protest plays and reciting poems against social injustices.

Cultural Society of Pirganj is a Facebook-based/social organization recently formed by local initiatives that organizes songs, dances, chats, and video projects.

At one time, annual cultural competitions in Pirganj government colleges and schools were like festivals. The plays ‘Sujan Badsha O Roopban’, ‘Shapamochan’, or Rabindra Sangeet evenings—these events became part of the daily lives of the common people.

But after the nineties, cultural stages gradually fell silent. The ease of access to technology, economic uncertainty, and political instability dealt an invisible blow to Pirganj’s cultural heritage. Over-reliance on smartphones and social media has taken the youth away from the real stage and into the virtual world.

Today, “entertainment” in Pirganj means YouTube videos or TikTok clips. But subculture has crept into that entertainment—the manifestation of indecency, drugs, and violence. The horrific spread of drugs in the city's alleys and streets has stunned the culture-loving society. Where the creative energy of the youth was supposed to be used in music or drama, it is being destroyed by drugs. Lack of financial support, lack of institutional support, and absence of cultural infrastructure are the main reasons for this decline. The old theater stage in Pirganj is now almost abandoned, and there is no entertainment environment in the local parks either.