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National Tagore song festival begins today
Shawkat Marcel Khan
The 18th National Rabindrasangeet Festival, dedicated to the late veteran Tagore singer Waheedul Haque, begins at the Central Public Library at Shahbagh in Dhaka today.
The event, to be organised by the Bangladesh Rabindrasangeet Shilpi Sangstha, will feature music, recitation and seminar, the organisers told a press briefing at the National Press Club on Wednesday.
Kalim Sharafi, Tapan Mahmood, Nahar Zamil, Naima Ali, Amina Ahmed, Sazed Akbar and Bula Mahmud addressed the briefing.
Professor Anisuzzaman will inaugurate the five-day festival at 5:00pm on the day and renowned theatre activist, Atiqul Haque Chowdhury, wil be honoured after the inaugural ceremony.
The inaugural session with Kalim Sharafi in the chair will be followed by a soiree of Tagore songs and recitation of poems.
One hundred and fifty singers from across the country along with 10 organisations will perform in seven sessions at the festival.
Besides, the Shilpi Sangstha will bring out a colourful procession from the library premises in the morning on the second day of the festival on Saturday.
'To inspire the young generation on our cultural heritage, we have to organise more programmes on Tagore, Nazrul, Lalon Shah and Hassan Raja on a regular basis,' said Tapan.
'We will place a seven-point demand through the festival to the concerned authorities,' he said. The demands include public holidays on the birth anniversaries of Tagore and Nazrul, mandatory programmes on the two poets in all educational institutions on the days and set up a Rabindra Academy for practise and research.
Tapan also thanked various organisations, which had made some donations to make the festival a success.
The organisation will hold a special programme marking the 84th birth anniversary of Kalim Sharafi which falls on May 8, the concluding day of the festival.
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Moments of nature on canvas
Robab Rosan
Alakesh Ghosh in his exhibition titled 'The Forms and Poetry of Nature' presents the myriad moods of nature.
Not only have the seasonal changes of nature, the changes of hues in different moments been captured on the canvases of this top artist of watercolour.
Alakesh's sky, in most cases, is dark. In some paintings, the viewers do not get any colour of sky, just white.
To present the landscape of the country, the artist portrays rivers, river-side habitations on a vast canvas, the traditional sailing boats, paddy fields, grazing of cattle, the old section of Dhaka city and the historical Panam Nagar in Narayanganj.
Alakesh's landscape provides a different appeal when he depicts the hilly terrain.
The terraces of hills and the valleys create grandeur and take the viewers' eyes to a far-reaching world.
He plays with the shades of colours. His green gives a blackish look which may reflect the artist's inner pathos.
Sometimes, Alakesh's black becomes grey and sometimes his blue becomes darker.
In fact, the playing of light and shadow - or chiaroscuro - in the paintings creates a celestial feeling in the minds of the viewers. Alakesh presents a vast horizon in depicting his subjects, particularly the landscapes.
The viewers get the charm of this vastness, featured by many objects, including the presence of people.
His rivers are also vast and the sailing boats are of big size and loaded with goods.
The bustle of people in the river-ghats, in particular, expresses their liveliness.
But he did not forget to depict the boats lying empty on the banks of the rivers.
The artist's paintings of the old
part of Dhaka portrays the busy life of the people, but his intentional use of darker blue in depicting the walls of the buildings and the lanes draw the viewers to another world, which is full of pains, pangs and sufferings.
The images of the ruins of Panam Nagar establish the artist's emotional inclination towards the world of sadness.
Alakesh's portraits of people, mainly of the ethnic communities, present them as hardworking and also as the victims of poverty.
The exhibition will remain open for all from 12:00pm to 8:00pm till May 5 at the Bengal Shilpalaya in Dhanmondi.
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Ikebana exhibition held
Cultural Correspondent
Most of the flower-loving people keep flowers in their homes for their fragrance and for enhancing the beauty of their interior dwelling. In most cases, they keep flowers in a conventional way, but the art of ikebana can enable people to keep their flowers fresh for many days. If ikebana is followed, the flowers can also be made to express the varying moods through their arrangements.
This was stated by speakers at a daylong solo ikebana exhibition by Jonaky Mahmood at the Conference Hall of Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO at Plassy on Monday. The speakers upheld the importance of this Japanese art of ikebana as it is widely practised across the globe. They also felt that the practice should be replicated in this country on a wider scale.
The show was organised by the National Association of UNESCO Clubs in Bangladesh.
UNESCO director and representative in Bangladesh Malama Meleisea inaugurated the exhibition as chief guest while Takashi Asai, first secretary of the Japanese Embassy in Dhaka, Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, chief editor and the managing director of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) and Zinnat Barkatullah, director of production department of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy attended the function as guests.
Journalist Gias Kamal Chowdhury, also the president of the association, chaired the event.
Earlier, Mahbubuddin Chowdhury, secretary of the association in his address of welcome said that the organisation tries to popularise ikebana as an important cross-cultural activity in Bangladesh and also to encourage the artistes of ikebana to express their talent in this art.
Terming the exhibition as a unique demonstration of ikebana, Malama Meleisea said that the exhibition would attract the visitors and would also encourage them to practise this art.
'As globalisation has confined us to a small place, we need to get the touch of nature. Ikebana takes us to nature,' he further said.
'UNESCO will continue its cooperation in the cultural activities in Bangladesh,' he added.
Takashi Asai said that this Japanese art has crossed its border and been practised in different countries. 'Apart from our economic projects, the Japan government also have extended cultural programmes in Bangladesh. The exhibition would help in strengthening the relation between the peoples of Bangladesh and Japan,' he added.
The artiste Jonaky Mahmood displayed 15 species of flowers, along with, ferns and paddies, in 34 vases.
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Rabindranath Tagore's
Song of the unfortunates
I
Why shed tears, why heave sighs
We will defy destiny with a grinning face
Destitutes who lost everything
They are win-alls in the world
Not slaves to the prideful
Goddess of Fortune
We will defy destiny with a grinning face.
Happiness's bloated breast
We don't live in its shadow
We are not daunted by
fierce-face misery's wheel.
To our best with broken drum
We'll go on drumming win.
We'll block the blue azure
raising flags of broken hopes
We will defy destiny with a grinning face.
O Misfortune: the unkempt-haired
yet stable goddess that you are
Your rules are very simple
you know no feint-tricks.
You set the stomach-sparks
giving never any pretence
When you pull death-noose
you offer no pleasing words.
We will defy destiny with a grinning face.
Elite those in this world
elite they are in your abode
So you have left for us
the hard bed meant for them.
We are your blessed children
We will take what you give
We'll shout hurrah for you
Bearing disaster on our heads.
We will defy destiny with a grinning face.
II
Take us Mother to youths' realm
Seat us on unfortunates' throne
Let your servants fan us
with their all broken fans
On our burnt foreheads Mother
Let engulfing flame put your mark
Wrap us with frayed blankets,
shamelessly tattered clothes.
We will defy destiny with a grinning face.
Let empty smiles of pseudo-friends
hide hearing your victory drum
Let false-flatterers of Mecca-Kashi
run away showing tails
Let decayed door be ever open
discriminating between none
You be there, I be there
as equals twelve months.
We will defy destiny with a grinning face.
We erased fear and shame
by dint of praise and blame
Dust, that's from your feet
we devotees rubbed on us.
To Hope we say, "Madam,
we know enough of your game
You try to deceive even those
all deprivations are whose fate
We will defy destiny with a grinning face.
The day death will say
"Arise, your night sees dawn".
I will go turning off two lights
sun and moon of my house.
Two of us close together
neighbours for eternity
He will wrap his two arms
around my neck in friendliness---
I will defy destiny
at the time of departure.
Translated by Moyeenul Alam
Email: moyeenulalam@hotmail.com
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Indonesian week ends
Cultural Correspondent
A week-long Indonesian cultural programme titled 'Indonesian Culture and Tourism Promotion Week 2007' ended at the National Theatre Hall of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Saturday.
The artistes from Indonesia and Bangladesh performed at the event 'Indonesian Cultural Night' featuring dance, fashion show and music on the concluding day which was jointly organised by the embassy of the republic of Indonesia and the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
The event was divided into three categories--- discussion, cultural show and a joint performance by the Bangladesh and Indonesian artistes.
The event began with a dance where the Indonesian artistes presented a dance on Teroor Samba followed by Martunoon, a form of dance highlights the daily life activities of the weavers.
Renowned Indonesian singer Arlin Tobing capped the audience singing two famous numbers including Lisoi and Sing sing so. The singer was assisted by Yasir Arafat on keyboard, Nuruzzaman on behala, Maniruzzaman on flute and AFM Ekram Hossain on tabla.
Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Bangladesh, Warmas Hasan Saputra and Qamrul Hassan were present and spoke at the discussion session.
Members of the diplomatic corps along with some distinguished citizens of the country were also present at the function.
A forty-four member cultural delegation from the city Pemantangsiantar of North Sumatera province, Indonesia including officials, traditional dance performers, musicians and singers arrived in Dhaka to participate at the week-long programme.
The 'Indonesian Culture and Tourism Promotion Week' is determined to widen the area of existing bilateral relationship of Indonesia and Bangladesh through the promotion of the rich culture and tourism of Indonesia.
Besides, to raise fund for the Indonesian people, the team performed at a city hotel on April 21.
'We held the charity event to raise fund for the less fortunate countrymen or the survivors who have been affected by the series of natural disasters that have taken place recently in Indonesia', said Arief of Indonesian embassy.
Indonesia has been passing through a cycle of devastating natural calamities over the last few years which prompted swift offers of financial support and condolence from around the world.
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Involvement of children in media stressed
Cultural Correspondent
Children have the right to participate in media works. They have the right to get information and to express their views.
As part of their extra-curricular activities, the children can be involved in the television productions, including, news making and presentation and programmes upholding the issues concerning themselves.
This was stated by the speakers at a meet the press programme organised by the Children's Television Foundation of Bangladesh (CTFB) at the National Press Club in the city on Wednesday.
Senior communication officer of UNICEF, Jafreen Jerin Chowdhury and general manager (programme) of Ekushey Television, Aminul Islam spoke at the programme among others.
Sayma Akhtar Rini and Mohiuddin Khan Russel, who took training from the Children's Television Foundation of Bangladesh on news, also shared their experiences related to the activities of the organisation.
Jafreen Jerin Chowdhury said that UNICEF helps the CTFB as the organisation works for the development of children.
'We hope that the children will be able to express their feelings through the programmes produced by themselves,' she said.
Aminul Islam said that the children who took trainings from the CTFB were doing well in different television channels.
'The television productions, made by the children, are acclaimed at home and abroad,' he added.
The authorities of CTFB said that the organisation has been producing younger media activists and professionals for last two years and it is a platform for the children.
'The organisation works to create awareness among the children about their rights and also to nourish their talent in the field of electronic media,' they said.
According to them, they have plans to upgrade the organisation as an organisation for mass media for children and to arrange an international summit for children every two years.
The organisation has also a plan to establish a separate television channel for children in future.
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