A treat for folk music buffs

The event started with a discussion centering on Churamoni Fakir

Lalon Shah. Sabir Ahmed Chowdhury, renowned poet and chief guest, spoke about the positive effect of adhering to the beliefs and teachings of Lalon Shah. His thesis was that merely performing Lalon's songs was insufficient; people should unite and imbibe the spirit of the songs. Other speakers were general secretary Nasrin Ferdous Chaman and Azhar Mallik.

A musical soiree followed on the heels of the discussion. The first song was Sayant Khan's Dhanya dhanya boli, followed by Irina Nowshin's Khachar bhitor achin pakhi. Both were rendered soulfully and had priceless lyrical value. Instrumentalists from Kushtia also performed on the occasion. Mafizur Rahman Birohi and Touhid Sarker delighted the audience with a skillful display of tartantra while Santosh Kimar Das and Subrata Das played percussions and Shariful Islam played the mandira.

Though the programme began long after the scheduled time, it was a worthwhile wait for local folk music aficionados.