Celebrating the musical genius

Artistes of Nazrul Sangeet Shilpi Parishad perform at the event

Organised by the Nazrul Sangeet Shilpi Parishad, the two-day long programme commenced on May 22. The chief guest was the Minister for Education Dr Osman Farooq. Dr Rafiqul Islam, Nazrul researcher and educationist was present as the special guest. The programme was presided over by one of Nazrul Sangeet's most coveted singers, Ferdousi Rahman, chairperson of the Nazrul Sangeet Shilpi Parishad.

The programme took off with a welcome speech by the general secretary of the Parishad MA Mannan. In quick succession the chief guest, special guest, and chairperson of the programme enriched the gathering with their inspiring speeches. The main message of their speech was to spread Nazrul Sangeet beyond the boundaries of a few cultured families, to take it to the grassroots and international levels.

Dr Rafiqul Islam stressed on the need to impart the techniques of Nazrul Sangeet to the younger generation in order to keep it alive. Dr Farooq emphasised that just holding programmes twice a year was insufficient to spread the music throughout the country. Many such programmes needed to be organised regularly to encourage the younger generation to join the bandwagon. Ferdousi Rahman also reiterated the fact that the new generation needed to be taught the techniques of this great music form and for that a basic education in classical music was a must. It was the duty of the elder generation artistes to impart this knowledge to the younger generation. She also requested the television channels to come forward and broadcast such programmes at prime times.

Amidst vibrant colours and glamour among the artistes, the soiree began with a chorus- Tora shob joydhoni kor and was followed by Aaji rokto nishi bhore. The stage reverberated with the typical Nazrul style beat of inspiration, stimulation and motivation. The revered Nazrul singer Shohrab Hossain was next on stage at the request of the organisers and shared his knowledge of Nazrul and his songs. Mustafa Zaman Abbasi captivated the audience with Dookher shahara par hoye ami cholechhi Kabah'r pothey, while renowned artiste Rebecca Sultana presented Shure o banir mala diye tumi. The evening continued with the renderings of songs by many other young and established artistes.