A Classical Journey of Five Years

Although I have not been able to visit all the Classical Music Festivals in the world, I have had the fortune to attend some Classical Fests in Delhi and Kolkata while I was studying in India. As far as I know, nowhere in the world has a Classical Music Festival seen such popularity and endearment of the mass people as it did in Bangladesh. This has been confirmed by many classical legends and it is indeed a huge achievement for Bangladesh. However, when I look back and see all the problems and issues among us I find this country to be an amazingly interesting place to live in. This only proves that anything is possible in this country, and we can achieve anything if the right amount of dedication and resolve is put into it. We know that none of us are immortal; we all have to leave one day. My only anxiety regarding this event is the fact that if the organizers are one day no longer able to continue this wonderful event, then what will become of it? I will be a little selfish here and say that we have all become used to the excellent quality of music that Bengal has brought us over the years, so I cannot bear the thought of it leaving me as I hold it very dear. I would like to take this opportunity to request the Bengal authorities to keep up this massive event for us to enjoy, as we are truly grateful for it. Many have said that Classical music is not for the masses, but I would like to strongly oppose that notion. We have seen throughout the five years of the journey of the Classical Musical Fest that it has become a cultural phenomenon and the sheer number of people that are showing interest in it is astounding. This shift towards the finer arts is very encouraging, as it will give a lot of incentive to our young classical artists to pursue their passion and dreams. We can see that nearly 200 of our local talents have performed in this festival, and these artists are our pride. I will share an experience that I had in the classical fest. A gentleman suddenly asked me if I had seen Munmun Ahmed's performance last night. The reason for him asking me was that he had apparently broke into tears after watching her soulful performance. Since I am fortunate enough to know her personally, I connected the two. The man was a retired Colonel, and the artist was so emotionally pleased with his reaction that she took his contact number and said that she will inform him before she performs in any live show in Dhaka. These are only snippets of the positivity that Bengal Foundation has brought with its revolutionary Classical Music Festival, and 'Thank You' would be a gross understatement. Thus we bring you this very special edition of Daily Star Showbiz adorned with content from the Bengal Classical Music Festival. 

By Rafi Hossain