Defining the music by and of the people

A participant performs a folksong at the programme

However, the development of modern society--first through literacy, then the conversion of culture into a saleable commodity--created a new form of transmission of music that first influenced, then essentially eliminated our original folk tradition.

Thankfully, as folk traditions decline, there is often a conscious effort to resuscitate them. The Bangladesh Loko Sangeet Parishad, is one such institution that seeks to bring back the golden age of our folk heritage. The organisation's recent treat for music lovers was its 59th regular monthly programme at the Bishwa Shahitya Kendra auditorium on June 23. The function featured the songs of ancient bards of rural Bangladesh.

The programme was divided into two parts. The first part was a brief discussion on the branches and characteristics of the ancient folk songs. Eminent folk musician, lyricist and singer Abdul Halim Boyati was the key speaker, while noted folk singer Indra Mohan Rajbangshi presided over the session.

"Like the tree without roots, culture cannot be sustained without its roots--the folkloric elements. This is an opportune time to take positive steps against the inroads by the westernised elements in our culture," said Abdul Halim Boyati.

By defining the appeal of folk songs of the country, Indra Mohan Rajbangshi said, "Our folk songs tell the tales of our own heritage. So we, who are involved in this genre of music, should come forward to protect it. We should also seek a collaboration between traditional folk musicians and other participants (often of urban background) who come to the tradition as adults."

The second part of the programme was the musical soiree by the artistes of Bangladesh Loko Sangeet Parishad and other guest artistes. This part featured medley of folk songs of the ancient bards like Lalon Shah, Durbin Shah, Arkum Shah, Bijoy Sarkar, Radharamon and others. Some songs of Alfu Dewan, ishan Fakir, Gada Dhar Sheel, Haren Baul, Dewan Musa, Padmalochan Sadhu, harananda Goshai and some other not so known widely, were rendered by various artistes delighted the audience. Anima Mukti Gomes, Khairul Islam, Shanta Shawjal, Palash Ganguly, Parul Rajbangshi and around twenty artistes of the organisation charmed the audience with the soothing tunes and catchy lyrics of the folk songs. The family members and the disciples of Abdul Halim Boyati, were among the guest artistes at the programme.