Haimanti Shukla enthralls Dhaka audience

The evening also marked the launching of two albums brought out by Tonatuni--Bhorer Doel and Chokh Jurey Barsha. Composed and tuned by Sujeyo Shyam, the former album presents songs performed by Sabina Yasmin, Shakila Zafar and Subir Nandi. The latter contains songs by Arundhotihome Chowdhury and Abida Sultana. Besides, Singer Haimanti Shukla performs in both the albums.

Haimanti Shukla began the soiree with her immensely popular track Ogo brishti amar chokher pata chhuyona. The crowd seemed very exuberant at hearing such a lively performance. Shukla performed another three songs--Thikana na rekhe bhaloi korechho bandhu, a classical Bangla number and another popular number Amar bolar kichhu chhilona.

Shukla was apparently glad to see the huge popularity of her songs among the Bangladeshis. She said that she generally takes her instrumentalists with her, but 'when I come to Bangladesh, I don't need to bring them along. For the instrumentalists here play so well I don't feel the necessity of my hands at all', she said. Shukla praised Milon Bhattacharya, Firoz Khan, Munir and Doulatur Rahman who accompanied her on the tabla, setar, flute and guitar.

The concert was then paused by the Tonatuni performance. The cheerful children presented a good number of Bangla popular rhymes that obviously reminds one of the bygone childhood days. Verses like Adur badur chalta badur, Noton noton payragulo, Baburam shapurey, Megher kole rod heshechhey, Chand uthechhe phul phutechhe, Khokon Khokon kore maay, Khoka ghumalo para juralo and many others could well entertain the audience despite their displeasure at the waiting for Shukla's concert.

The costumes especially of those depicting different animals like elephant, horse, crows were brilliant. Director Tamanna Rahman surely deserves praise for such an excellent presentation of the childhood treasures of rhymes and songs. So does Tonatuni for the unique idea of the whole festival.