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Colour and festivity hail Basanta
Shaikh Ashraf Ali
Basanta Utsab, a cultural festival to herald the advent of the Bangla month of Phalgun, was observed with daylong programmes on the Dhaka University campus on Tuesday.
Beginning with the playing of an orchestra at Bakultala on the Institute of Fine Art premises at 7:00am, the festival featured songs and dances performed by the youngsters, especially the women, in colourful dresses.
Banner reading 'amar janma shahar uthese hese, legese basanti rang tar dhushar satvai aj (my native town has glowed in smile, her grey soul has now become colourful), a line from the late poet Samsur Rahman, who was the first convener of the festival, captured the spirit of the festival.
The Teachers-Students Centre, Battala and Sarak Dwip at Dhaka University were also very much crowded with thousands of females in yellow saris and males in punjabis.
They brought out a procession from Bakultala of Institute of Fine Art at 10:00am, chanting 'aso mili praner utsabe (come to join the festival of soul)'.
The visitors moved around the campus with their near and dear ones. There was a huge crowd this year. 'I am moving freely this year and feel very secured as I am not anxious about bomb blasts' said Naoshin Afroz, a resident of Lalmatia.
'But the drizzling at around 12:30pm, which lasted for around three hours, hampered the festival enjoyment', said Moury, Tuly and Sumon from Rampura.
The national spring festival committee organised programmes in two sessions - one starting at 7:00am and ending at 10:00am, when orchestra, song, dance, dialogue and recitation of poem related to the folk culture were presented. The second session started at 3:00pm, featuring same programmes till 8:00pm.
Another cultural organisation arranged a concert of folk songs at the Sarak Dwip. Another daylong concert was arranged at Teachers-Students Centre while Somogit presented folk songs all the day at Battala in front of the arts building of Dhaka University.
During the spring, the change in nature becomes noticeable, with birds chirping, flowers blooming and trees wearing new leaves. The festival was arranged to welcome all these changes.
'Basanta utsab is part of our culture like nabanna. We organise the programme every year so that we can uphold our own culture in this post-modern world' Aly Zaker, convenor of this festival, told New Age, adding, 'we arrange such festival so that the fundamentalism is uprooted.'
The late Rabindra song researcher and journalist, Waheedul Haque, fist dreamed to organised such festival in 1994 and the festival is being organised since 1995.
Aly Zaker succeeded Samsur Rahman as the convenor of the festival following the latter's death last year.
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Achho Antare Chiradin
Wahidul Haque remembered
Robab Rosan
Eminent music maestro Wahidul Haque was remembered with songs and discussions in the evening of February 14 at the Bengal Shilpalaya in Dhanmondi.
The commemoration programme titled 'Achha Antare Chiradin' was organised by the Bengal Foundation.
The organisers arranged solo and group presentations of songs, recitations, lectures, documentary show on the maestro and the playing of his recorded songs.
The discussants, eminent educationist Professor Zillur Rahman Siddiquee, noted theatre personality Nasiruddin Yousoff and director general of the Bengal Foundation Luva Nahid Choudhury remembered the roles of Wahidul Haque in the field of music and culture in Bangladesh.
They said that Wahidul Haque took several initiatives to uphold the spirit of Bengali culture through music particularly through the Rabindra Sangeet.
He also worked to show the beauty of Bengali language through proper pronunciation and recitation, they added.
According to them, Wahidul Haque preached his message of to be a good Bengali by establishing several cultural organisations in the city and its branches to the remote areas of the country.
They also emphasised on continuing his works.
The singers Iffat Ara Dewan, Mita Haque, Bulbul Islam, Partha Tanvir Naved, Chandana Majumdar, Jhuma Khandakar, Ilora Ahmed Shukla, Shimu Rani De of Sirajganj, Sukanta Chakrabarti of Comilla and Mihir Nandi of Chittagong sang at the event and Asaduzzaman Noor recited poem.
The organisers screened a documentary on the maestro presenting his songs, interviews of artist Qayyum Chowdhury, cultural personality Kamal Lohani, actor Mamunur Rashid and the director general of Bengal Foundation Luva Nahid Choudhury who talked about Wahidul Haque.
The organisers also played the records of the maestro.
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Seminars at Bangla Academy
Cultural Correspondent
The Bangla Academy is holding seminars and cultural programmes at its compound as part of the month-long programmes on Amar Ekushey.
The seminar begins at 4:00pm everyday. The event ends with a cultural performance.
Today, on February 16, the academy will arrange the seminar on 'Abu Hena Mustafa Kamaler Kabitar Bishay o Prakaran' by Bishwajit Ghosh while Asad Chowdhury, Khaled Hossain and Hosne Ara will discuss on the paper. Maniruzzaman will preside over the function.
Baytullah Kaderi will present a keynote paper titled 'Shamsur Rahmaner Kabitar Bishay o Prakaran' on February 17. Abu Bakar Siddique, Mohammad Nurul Huda and Habibullah Sirazi will be present as discussants and Mahbub-ul-Alam Chowdhury will chair the event.
On February 18, Sardar Abdus Sattar will present a keynote paper titled 'Syed Ali Ahsaner Kabitar Bishay o Prakaran'. Mahbub Sadiq, ATM Moyazzem Hossain and Abdul Hye Sikder will be present as discussants and Al Mahmud will chair the function.
Shahabuddin Ahmed will present a keynote paper titled 'Farrukh Ahmeder Kabitar Bishay o Prakaran' on February 19. Abdul Gafur, Mahmud Shafiq and Rahima Akhter Kalpana will discuss on the paper and Abdul Mannan Syed will preside over the seminar.
On February 20, Tushar Das will present the paper titled 'Ahsan Habiber Kabita o Prakaran' and Ahmed Kabir, Nasir Ahmed and Soubhi Reza will discuss on it. Alauddin Al Azad will chair the function.
The academy will also announce the Bangla Academy Purashkar 2006 on the day.
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Group ceramic show held at Zainul Gallery
Cultural Correspondent
A group ceramic exhibition titled Poramon, inaugurated on February 8, was held at the Zainul Gallery of the Institute of Fine Art of Dhaka University.
Director of the institute Professor Abdus Shakoor Shah inaugurated the exhibition as chief guest while Mohammad Rabiul Islam was present as special guest.
The artists Mahadi Masud, Tahmina Hafiz Lisa and Noor Mohammad Talukder had organised the exhibition which was second of its kind displaying ceramic wares, jewellery and terracotta.
Among the ceramic wares, they displayed mugs, flower vases, table lamps, tea-sets, firni-sets and masks. To draw the attention of visitors, they had also displayed ceramic lockets presenting the symbols of Ekushey. Some terracotta works were also on display.
While talking about the objectives of the exhibition, Mahadi Masud said, 'we want to popularise the artistic ceramic wares among the city dwellers. Unlike other commercial ceramic productions, which are available in the market, we produce the wares as art-pieces.'
Showing a piece of mug, Mahadi added that they were using paintings on the ceramic wares. 'In most of our works we have used red and black as the symbols of Ekushey.'
He further said that the exhibition had drawn attention of a good number of visitors, 'and the sale is satisfactory,' he added.
According to the artistes, they have plans to arrange this sort of exhibition regularly. Earlier, the trio artistes arranged their maiden group ceramic exhibition of the same titled on last September.
The exhibition was open till February 15.
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Rupantarer Gaan released
Cultural Correspondent
A music album titled Rupantarer Gaan by Shaheen Samad and Enamul Hoque was released on Monday at the Shaheed Zia Auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum in the city.
Deputy general of the country's war of independence, air vice martial (Rtd) AK Khandakar unveiled the cover of the album as chief guest while eminent litterateur Syed Shamsul Haq, cultural personality Kamal Lohani, human rights activist Sultana Kamal and chairman of Laser Vision Ariful Rahman spoke among others. Sarwar Ali, trustee of the Liberation War Museum, chaired the function.
The speakers highly appreciated the publication of the CD saying that this was a demand of time.
They added that most of the songs of the CD were written and composed upholding the spirit of the Language Movement and the War of Independence. 'These songs would deliver the message to the younger generation about the role of music in creating political awareness, they added.
According to them, the songs sung by the singers of the Bangladesh Mukti Sangram Shilpi Sangstha during the War of Independence, has been included in the album. As a result the songs will be preserved.
The ceremony was followed by the performances of Shaheen Samad and Enamul Hoque. Both the event and CD was dedicated to the late music maestro Wahidul Haque.
The album, produced by Laser Vision, comprises 15 songs. Noted actor Asaduzzaman Noor, the trustee of the Liberation War Museum and Mafidul Haque spoke on the songs.
The singers said that they were inspired to bring the album by the late music guru Wahidul Haque. Unfortunately, they did not able to bring it during his lifetime.
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Faces of Terrorism in Bangladesh
This volume consists of 26 columns published earlier in various leading dailies between the years 2004 and 2006. The need for publication of the columns was felt because of the almost unending debate on religion-based militancy. The major political parties did not fail to have polarised views on the issue based on politics of denial and politics of confrontation. The media and the civil society, on the other hand, contributed to a more informed understanding of the much-debated subject of terrorism.
Notwithstanding this substantive contribution, the debate is still on even after the arrests of two top leaders of JMB. The collection of columns seeks to provide an analytical and evaluative account of the facts and circumstances that led to the public debate during the last two years or so. Selected columns arranged in a chronological and coherent form provide important information and data that are likely to help the readers in forming their own judgement on the subject. The dispassionate analyses present not only the 'how' and 'why' but also what should be the future direction from the perspective of governance.
A M M Shawkat Ali joined the former Civil Service of Pakistan in 1966 and served in many important positions in the government of Pakistan and Bangladesh. He retired from service as Secretary in 2001. He is now engaged in private sector research and consultancy and is contributing columns to major national dailies in Dhaka. His areas of interest are agriculture, food, poverty, governance and human rights issues, among others. He is also an Adjunct Professor of East West University, Dhaka.
His earlier books include: Field Administration and Rural Development in Bangladesh (Dhaka: CSS, 1982); Politics and Land System in Bangladesh (Dhaka: NILG, 1985); Politics, Upazila and Development (Dhaka: NILG, 1986); Agricultural Credit in Bangladesh (Dhaka: Centre for Development Research, Bangladesh, 1990); Aspects of Public Administration in Bangladesh (Dhaka: Nikhil Prakashan, 1993); Comprehensive Bibliography on Agriculture and Rural Development (co-author Dr. M.R. Khan, Dhaka: UPL, 1994); Bangladesher Bhumi Babosttaya ebong Rajniti (Politics and Land System in Bangladesh, Dhaka: Globe Library Private Limited, 2002); The Lore of the Mandarins: Towards a Non-Partisan Public Service in Bangladesh (Dhaka: UPL, 2002); Bangladesh Civil Service A Political-Administrative Perspective (Dhaka: UPL, 2004) and Bangladesher Samokalin Ghatonaprobaho (Contemporary Events in Bangladesh, Dhaka: Sucheepatra, 2005).
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Smritir Sat Kahan launched
Cultural Correspondent
An autobiography titled 'Smritir Sat Kahan' by Sultan-Uz-Zaman Khan was launched on February 14 at the Sufia Kamal Auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum in the city.
Professor Zillur Rahman Siddiquee was present as chief guest while Dr Mirza Azizul Islam, journalist Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, publisher of the book Mafidul Haque, social activist Kazi Madina and the author of the book Sultan-Uz-Zaman spoke on the book at the ceremony. Veteran journalist Faiz Ahmed chaired the event.
The discussants said that the book presents Sultan's views and experiences related to country's politics and social issues as a former civil servant from the mid Pakistani period to the early years of Bangladesh.
They also said that Sultan had not only presented his life and works but also presented the history of his time.
They added that the author had talked about the discipline, behaviour and responsibilities of the civil servants in the country. 'The writer has also talked about the limitations of the people of public administration services,' they further added.
According to them, the book will help the people who are in public administration and it will also inspire them to be a good administrators.
They also appreciated the writer for the book, which is very informative and also good read.
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