Priyanka Chowdhury

The Concert for Bangladesh, a pair of benefit concerts organised by former Beatles guitarist George Harrison and Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar, were held on August 1, 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, to raise international awareness of, and fund relief for refugees from the then East Pakistan, following the Bangladesh Liberation War. Expanding on the 50-year legacy of the concert, Samdani Art Foundation (Dhaka) and UBIK Productions (London) collaborated to host a mixed reality musical event, titled ‘Concert from Bangladesh’.  The initiative is supported by the British Council Digital Collaboration Fund.

Since her first on-screen appearance in 2003, Moutushi Biswas garnered her career with well-known television fictions, reality shows, and movies. However, she was away from the limelight for one and a half years.

Eid special tele-fiction, “Ghotona Shotto”, directed by Rubel Hasan and released under the banner of Central Music and Video (CMV), has enraged audiences -- allegedly due to its insensitivity towards children with special needs.

Renowned actor Shahnaz Khushi paid a wonderful tribute to Kulsum, her house-help, who took care of her family for nine long years, through a social media post. Kulsum passed away recently, after a post appendicitis surgery.

OTT platform Chorki released the trailer of their anthology series, “Unoloukik” recently. It is based on four original stories by writer Shibabrata Barman -- “Moribar Holo Tar Shad", "Dwikhondito", "Jagar Bela Holo" (adapted to Mrs Prohelika), and "Television" (adapted to Hello Ladies). Barman penned the fifth story, "Don't Write Me”, especially for the Chorki original series. It will begin with “Moribar Holo Tar Shad” on July 12, with the commencement of the OTT platform itself.

With an aim to overcome challenges and neglect faced by musicians, several lyricists, composers, and vocalists have formed a committee called, ’Sangeet Oikya Bangladesh' for the first time in the history of the country. Three organisations, Gitikobi Sangha Bangladesh, Music Composers Society of Bangladesh and Singers Association of Bangladesh came under the umbrella. Through an online press conference, Kumar Biswajit, General Secretary, Singers Association of Bangladesh, unveiled the committee.

Hailing from Bagerhat, Mostafizur Noor Imran has a master’s in Drama and Dramatics from Jahangirnagar University.

In Indian classical performance art, the Guru-Shishya Parampara plays an integral role. It is handed down from teachers to their disciples. Traditionally attributed to traveling bards in the North of Ancient India, called ‘Kathakars’ or storytellers,

There is more than a lifetime of knowledge to gain from master artists and their relationships with colours. Viewing colours through the eyes of great artists we often discover their passion and characteristics. Artists of Bengal have shown their distinct fascinations with colours. Amongst them, Shilpaguru Safiuddin Ahmed's depictions of the colour black is fascinating. Today marks his ninth death anniversary.

Day three of “Mujib Chirantan”, the ten-day celebration of the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of Bangladesh's independence at National Parade Square, was themed as “Jatakal Robe Padma Jamuna”. The first session began with Hon'ble Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing the gathering as the guest of honour, at the function presided over by Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey V Lavrov presented a video congratulatory message on the day.

Gallery Shilpangan in Lalmatia is currently hosting artist Al Akhir Sarker’s first solo painting exhibition, titled “Mon Pabaner Nao - The Fairy Boat”. Whether it is life or stillness, fragments of memoirs, light and affection of time and moments, Al Akhir renders the elements that surround his environment in a simplistic form. On the occasion of their 29th founding anniversary, Gallery Shilpangan is hosting this exhibition.

With two released web projects and one under way, writer-director Tanim Noor has been a recurring name on OTT platforms in recent times. His journey however, began more than a decade ago. In a chat with The Daily Star, he shared some of his earliest memories of being in the entertainment arena, and talked about his web series “Contract”, which releases on ZEE5 Global on March 18, 2021.

To inspire and aid visually impaired readers, The Sufia Kamal National Public Library, in association with Sporsho Foundation, inaugurated their Braille Corner yesterday. State Minister for Cultural Affairs K M Khalid, MP, Md Abubakar Siddique, Director-General of the Department of Public Library and Nazia Jabeen, President of Sporsho Foundation, along with other officials were present at the event. The corner also honours the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation and National Children’s Day. It consists of 90 books, including biographies, children’s stories, poems, and many more in its collection. Many of the books focus on the history of Bangladesh’s Liberation War.

Noted architect Bashirul Haq passed away in April 2020. He had designed DrikPath Bhobon, the venue for this year’s “Chobi Mela”. “Wishing Tree”, an exhibition featuring Haq’s seminal works, is being hosted at the festival, in honour of him.

In its array of collaborative initiatives, “Chobi Mela Shunno” introduced ‘Chapakhana Archive’, a research project. On the fourth floor of the DrikPath Bhobon, an excerpt of a nine-month project, exploring documents and local histories of print in Dhaka and its production technologies, is on display. The framework of the exhibition comes from Mara Züst’s research for her project, ‘Kolkata — City of Print’, in association with Pathshala.

`cMarking Solidarity Day, students of the ninth batch of Pathshala honoured Ashrafi, also known as the Chobiwala of Bihari Camp Bazaar at “Chobi Mela Shunno''. A temporary studio was set up at the rooftop of DrikPath Bhobon, which not only allowed the audience to interact with the photographer, but also to get soaked in nostalgia. In a candid conversation, Ashrafi shared his story with The Daily Star.

The special edition of Chobi Mela features a series of podcasts that include themes ranging from collective narratives to echoes of the 80s, thinking contexts, conversations and many more sharing of ideas in and around defining and (re)defining the meaning and interpretation of images. The podcast series is curated by artiste Munem Wasif who handpicked speakers ranging from artists to curators, filmmakers, writers, musicians and others.

Titled ‘Chobi Mela Shunno’, the festival can be interpreted as an amorphous infinite space, or a home that runs parallel with all others.

Ayesha Sultana, an artist based in Dhaka, is recognised across the globe. She sets herself apart through her practice that is uncommon in the South Asian context.

Bengal Foundation launched their very first virtual tour of an ongoing exhibition titled ‘Baseer: An Eloquent Mind’ for the online audience. The online platform for the full-fledged gallery tour has been designed by Artcon, a specialised agency that covers all modes of services in the art field.