A cultural feast
'Some people may think that the disintegration of the Soviet monolith marks an end to its history. On the contrary, it is the beginning of a new era where people are enjoying democracy,' said Oleg S Malginov. All the speakers dwelled on the friendship between Russia and Bangladesh. In his speech, Enam Ahmed Choudhury, Chairman of Privatisation Commission and the chief guest of the programme, said: 'Everything related to Russia always fascinates me. I am grateful for their help during our Liberation War. I hope this friendship between the two countries will last forever.'
The second phase started with a beautiful piano recital by the students of Music Saloon. Elena Eqbal conducted the session. Some of the famous compositions like Tarantella, Camp of Gypsy, Fur Elise and Sonate were played by Sabina Iqbal, Masha Rahman, Denis Neogi and Yurika Bhuian.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. After this, the Dhaka University Russian Language Department performed two popular Russian songs -- Podmoskovnie Vechera and Aleksandra.
The Volga Club of Russian Cultural Centre presented Bengali dances choreographed by Sohel Rahman. Bengali songs by Mahananda Biswas and recitation from Pushkin by Falguni Das and Anwara Begum followed.
The third phase projected modern dance presented by Kamrul Islam Nadim and his troupe. The shadow dance by Nadim was a new concept for the Dhaka audience. The dances with Chachacha beat and some other compositions received great applause.
On the whole, the programme was well organised. However, there was a view that the true essence of Russian culture was missing.