Songs from the soul

Aroti Dhar performing at the festival

To encourage the folk musicians and the practice of folk songs, Shilpakala Academy echoed with a five-day long Folk Music Festival at its Chitrashala Plaza beginning on April 6. The State Minister for Cultural Affairs, Salima Rahman, inaugurated the event. The programme was presided over by Ahmed Nazir, director of Shilpakala Academy.

The musical soiree began with artiste Latifa Chowdhury's rendition of Jodi Asha Thakey Bondhu. 20 artistes, including Dilruba Khan, Nashid Kamal, Beena Majumdar, Nadira Begum, Abu Bakar Siddique, Aroti Dhar, Chandana Majumdar, Sufia Manowar, Selina Akhter, Azgar Aleem, M A Khaleq, Syed Golam Ambia performed at the programme.

Besides solo performances, Motaleb Dewan, Arif Dewan, Chittaranjan Modak Dewan, Manzila Akhter, Abdul Khaleq Dewan and their groups, as well as Kanailal Shilpigoshthi and Surma Ancholik Shilpigoshthi performed chorus numbers.