Folk music is our cultural identity

Folk music has seen a rather steady rise in popularity in the last few years among the urban population; the buzz surrounding the upcoming 'Meril presents - Dhaka International Folk Fest (DIFF) is a strong case in point. Organised by Sun Events, the three-day event from November 12-14 at the Army Stadium premises in Dhaka, will feature the most prominent names in the country's folk music arena, along with a number of enthralling performers from India, Pakistan, Ireland and China.

Anjan Chowdhury, managing director of Maasranga Television and Director Square Group spoke to the Daily Star about the impetus behind organising the festival, and his expectations.

“Our connection with folk music is that of the soul; it is the cultural identity of Bangalees. If we can ignite a spark of an awakening among the people, that would be the success of this festival. We want to encourage and inspire our listeners, and if we can do it properly, it will be a success for Bangladesh,” Anjan Chowdhury said.

About the character of the festival, he elaborated: “We are calling it the Dhaka International Folk Festival, but it will be identified by Bangladesh's folk music. Without the practitioners of folk music here, this art form would not be alive, so we must remember their contributions and give them their due credit and respect. About the foreign folk musicians, I think it's also important for our listeners to know what is happening musically around the world. We are doing this on a rather small scale this year; the foreign artistes who are coming are not that widely known to the mass audiences, except for maybe those who follow folk music closely. Their participation will give our audiences a chance to get to know them, and also a good experience for our folk musicians to be on the same platform. The inclusion of the foreign artistes will make the festival interesting, and it will be a matter of prestige for the country's cultural arena as well.”

Among the festival's featured artistes are Bangladesh's noted artistes Farida Parveen, Momotaz Begum, Bari Siddiqui, Rob Fakir, Kiran Chandra Roy, Chandana Majumdar, Shafi Mondal, Nashid Kamal, Labik Kamal Gaurob's Magic Bauliana, Joler Gaan and many others. From Pakistan, the legendary Abida Parveen, and revered mystic singer Saieen Zahoor are performing. Papon, Indian Ocean, Nooran Sisters, Manganiyars from Hamira, Arko Mukhaerjee, Paban Das Baul and Parvathy Baul will travel from India, while Niamh Ní Charra from Ireland and the Yunnan Art Troupe from China will also grace the stage.

Entry to the festival is free but registration is mandatory. Online registration can be done via dhakainternationalfolkfest.com or shohoz.com/events, while one may also sign up through SMS, by sending DIFF to 6969.

The festival is presented by Meril, and co-sponsored by Ruchi, with Maasranga Television as the broadcast partner. It is supported by Bengal Digital, Mediacom Limited (PR partner), Square Hospital Limited (medical partner), AEGIS Security Force (security partner), Square Informatix Ltd. (technology partner), Amari Dhaka (hospitality partner), Shohoz.com (registration partner) and Radhuni (food partner).