Our Talents

Bulbul Chowdhury
One of the most active proponents of dance, Bulbul Chowdhury was born Rashid Ahmed Chowdhury, on January 1, 1919 in Chittagong.

From childhood, Bulbul was keenly interested in dance, music, painting, poetry and writing. His career began with Chatak-Dance, a dance that he had choreographed himself, at a cultural function at Manikganj High School.

After his matriculation, Bulbul came to Calcutta and joined the Presidency College. Ms Hemlata Mitra, a well-known social worker, first discovered the spark of genius in him. She invited him to perform in an important charity show, his first public appearance on stage. Here, he partnered with the famous dancer Sadhana Bose. This was his first step towards fame. He performed in front of an august audience in the Empire Cinema Hall. In those days this was by no means an ordinary event.

A creative genius and a remarkable organiser, Bulbul helped establish the Oriental Fine Arts Association (OFA) in 1937.

He was not only fond of dance but also literature. He wrote articles on the bright future of dance with special reference to the Cultured Society of Bengal. He also wrote a novel, Prachi (1942), on the Second World War, as well as a number of short stories.

Bulbul's performance was distinctively different in technique and spirit. This was inspired by his patriotic feelings, love of art and spirit of adventure.

Within a few years, his exceptional performances had earned widespread repute across Dhaka and Kolkata. His dance drama on the World War was, in particular, widely acclaimed. One of his boldest stage performances, Quit India, was performed in England--a direct protest against colonialism.

In January 1940, Bulbul came to Dhaka with his troupe and performed a number of dance dramas. During the Second World War, he moved to Chittagong and worked at different places from 1943 to 1947. In 1953 he visited Europe with his troupe, performing in Britain, Ireland, Holland, Belgium and France.

Bulbul drew ideas for his dance from common myths and legends, folk tales, and history. Most importantly, by showing that dance was part of the Muslim-Mughal tradition, he helped break down Muslim conservative attitudes and make dance respectable and popular. A prolific artiste during his active life of about 20 years, he wrote and choreographed 70 dance dramas, among them were Abhimanyu, Indrasabha, Sapure (Snake Charmer), Kobi O Basanta (Spring and the Poet), Moru Sangeet (Song of the Desert), Fashal Utsab (The Harvest), Iraner Panthashalay (In an Iranian Tavern), Sohrab O Rustam, Khudhito Pashan (The Hungry Stone), Bharat Chharo (Quit India), Anarkoli and many more.

He passed away in 1954, but his wife Afroza Bulbul, carried on his work through the setting up of the Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA) in Dhaka, named after him.