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Bhanusingher Padabali
captivates audience
Robab Rosan
Rabindranath Tagore's first poetical work 'Bhanusingher Padabali' published in 1875, presents the devotional genre of Vaishnava poems which narrate the mythological stories about the eternal lovers, Radha and Krishna. Krishna, one of the incarnations of Lord Vlshnu, symbolises the 'Unattainable' and Radha is his ultimate devotee.
The dance group called Bhabna staged the story of Radha and Krishna as described by Tagore in his book under the same title 'Bhanusingher Padabali' at the Shaheed Zia Auditorium of the Bangladesh National Museum on Monday.
The story of Tagore, written in the Maithali language of Mathura and Brindavan from whence arose the romantic myths of Krishna, tells cowherd-maid Radha's passionate love for the flute-playing cowherd Krishna. She searches her beloved ardently in a cloudy night and at last finds him out. The poet ends the story rejoining the loving souls.
Samina Husain Prema who directed the dance part of the play also performed in the role of Radha while Mehraj Haque Tushar performed in the role of Krishna. Among other members of Bhabna, Aparna Talukdar, Sanjana Haque, Khondker Rehnuma Rahman, Syed Mahbub Reza, Sazzad Shahriar and Sheikh Khaled Bin Khalil performed in the roles of the companions of Radha and Krishna.
Prema as Radha dominated the drama exposing her emotional changes after listening to the sound of the flute of Krishna.
The dancer should have given livelier expressions in creating her inner pathos and urge for her beloved Krishna when she was searching him.
In the scenes of union, her performance was rather attractive. Mehraj Haque Tushar also needs more masculine attitude in portraying the image of Krishna.
The companions of both Radha and Krishna also should have been more careful in maintaining the rhythm of music.
The music part was directed by Azizur Rahman. Noted singer of Tagore song, Laisa Ahmed Lisa sang the songs for Radha and Dahlia Ahmed took part in
recitations.
As a dance director, Prema mingled the classical genres of Indian dance, Manipuri, Bharatnatyam and Oddissi. She very aptly created force and rhythm in presenting the play.
Lubna Marium and Shobuj deserve special mention for their set designing and lighting respectively. The set was simple but attractive. On the other hand, the lighting created the ambience of Radha's 'abhisar'. The backdrop of the stage successfully gave the impression of cloudy night, rains and thunders into the mind of the audience.
In the drama, Firoz Khan played sitar while Mohammad Moniruzzaman was on the flute, Enamul Haque Omar on the tabla, Asit Kumar Biswas on the esraj, Sunil Kumar Sarkar on the keyboards, Mohammad Nuruzzaman on the violin, Swapan Sarkar on the santoor and Tamjid Hossain on the octopad.
The production captivated the audience.
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Beijing Art Biennale invites
Bangladeshi works
Cultural Correspondent
The Chinese embassy in Dhaka organised a party to select the best Bangladeshi painters for 3rd International Art Beijing Biennale.
Thirty painters took part in the function held at the Bengal Gallery in Dhaka on July 12.
The 29th Olympics and the 3rd International Art Beijing Biennale, an important part of the Beijing Humanistic Olympics, will be held in the Chinese capital in September 2008.
The two great feasts in the fields of sports and fine arts will fully exhibit the double glamour of power and beauty to the whole world in the lustre of five rings in the new Beijing.
About 800 art works from more than 70 countries, including Bangladesh, will be invited for displaying in the Beijing Biennale.
The party in Dhaka was organised as part of the process to invite the artists over the world and to co-build a harmonious world, accomplishing the 100-year rendezvous between art and modern Olympics and popularising the Biennale among the Bangladesh artists, the organisers said.
Cultural counsellor of the embassy, Liu Sanzhen, said he enjoyed the Bangladesh arts very much. Apart from going to theatres, concerts and exhibition halls, he visited different museums.
'Many Bangladesh painters are famous in the world for their abstract paintings.
I wish more painters will be selected to exhibit their art works and participate in the inaugural ceremony of the Beijing Biennale,' he said.
Beijing is the art centre of China, he added saying price of Chinese art works is rising in auctions in both China and the West these years.
'We are glad to see one of the Chinese oil paintings has been sold at $530,000 in an auction this year; he said and hoped that the Bangladesh art works would also have a good price by auction some day in China.
Bengal Gallery director Subir Choudhury presided over the function.
The first and the second Beijing Biennale were held in September 2003 and September 2005.
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Speakers laud Purabi Basu's stories
Cultural Correspondent
Short story writer Purabi Basu not only tells a story, in fact she creates a story. The people in her stories are very dynamic. The readers will get strong human voices in her stories.
The speakers stated this in the book launching ceremony of Purabi Basu's 'Radha will not Cook Today and Other Stories' at the Genetic Plaza in Dhanmondi on Tuesday. The book is a compilation of Purabi's short stories translated into English. Eminent educationist Professor Anisuzzaman was present as chief guest while Professor Niaz Zaman of Dhaka University; Professor Nuzhat Amin of Dhaka University; literary editor of Daily Star and one of the translators of Purabi's short stories Khademul Islam and the writer herself spoke among others.
Professor Anisuzzaman said that Purabi Basu can express herself in very simple and touching language. The readers get the touch of reality, voice of protest and anger in her writings.
Purabi Basu in her speech thanked the publisher Writers.ink for publishing the book, the editor of the book Professor Niaz Zaman and the translators for their respective duties.
According to the speakers, despite being translations the stories of this volume will help convey to an audience not familiar with the original Bangla the richness of Purabi Basu's talent.
The book contains 16 translated stories, including 'Saleha's Desire'; 'The Rage of Moonlight'; 'The Eternal Journey'; 'Returning Home: 1972' and 'Radha will not Cook Today' which is the title of the book.
The translators of stories are Professor Niaz Zaman of Dhaka University, Professor Shafi Ahmed of Jahangirnagar University; Professor Ali Anwar of Rajshahi University; Professor Sanjukta Dasgupta of Calcutta University; litterateur Jyotiprakash Dutta; researcher Dr Shawkat Haider; Khademul Islam of Daily Star; a holocaust survivor Renata Laqueur; poet and translator Shabnam Nadiya; freelance writers Hasan Ferdous and Saeeda Karim Khan; and a student of the Independent University Syed Bayezid.
Omni Books and Writers.ink jointly arranged the ceremony. The book priced at Taka 350, is cover-designed by noted artist Javed Jalil. It is distributed by the University Press Limited and available at the bookstalls in the city.
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Malaysian Muslims call for ban on movie
Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysian Muslims have called for a ban on the blockbuster movie 'Evan Almighty,' saying it is offensive to their religion, state media reported Friday.
Malaysia's influential Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) said the comedy, which plays on the story of Noah's ark and features actor Morgan Freeman as God, was insulting to Islam.
'The movie refers to the big flood during the time of Prophet Noah, but this has been turned into a comedy which is insulting to Islam,' Secretary-General Maamor Osman told news agency Bernama. 'Featuring a human being as God in the movie is also against Islam,' he added.
'Evan Almighty' is the sequel to 'Bruce Almighty,' which was banned from cinemas here after arousing objections among conservative Muslims.
Censors eventually approved the movie for DVD and VCD release and it has since been broadcast on television.
Other foreign movies to have been banned from public screening on religious grounds include 'Brokeback Mountain' and 'The Passion of the Christ.'
'Evan Almighty' is scheduled to be screened in Malaysian cinemas from August 23.
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Bidding war over Lennon's glasses
BBC Online
A pair of glasses worn by former Beatle John Lennon have sparked a bidding war after being offered for sale online.
The trademark circular sunglasses were worn by Lennon during the Beatles' 1966 tour of Japan, where the band played some of their last ever live dates.
Anonymous rival bidders have already pushed the price as high as £750,000 at online auction house 991.com.
'The interest has been phenomenal,' said sales director John Warner. 'Our phones have been in meltdown.'
'It's almost impossible to put a value on them,' he added. 'They're the rarest of the rare.'
Lennon wore the gold-rimmed glasses when the Beatles played five dates in Tokyo's Budokan hall in June 1966.
The band were subject to a high security operation after receiving threats on their lives from religious fanatics angry at the decision to let them play at the sacred site of Budokan.
They were forced to remain virtual prisoners in their Tokyo hotel, with only their photographer friend Bob Whitaker and a local translator, Junishi Yore, for company.
During the stay, Lennon struck up a friendship with Yore and - after the Beatles' final concert - they exchanged gifts in the Japanese tradition.
The interpreter, who later became a television producer, presented the Beatle with a set of traditional copper cups; Lennon donated a pair of his sunglasses.
In a handwritten note from 1984, when he parted company with the gift, Yore describes how, as a mark of respect, he removed the black lenses with his thumb on the day that Lennon was shot dead outside his New York apartment in 1980.
'I/we feel he see (sic) us after death in Japan,' he explained.
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Kanak Chanpa Chakma wins int'l award
Cultural Correspondent
Noted artist Kanak Chanpa Chakma received the 'So Si Re' award at the 12th Art Mirai International Art Compe-tition in Japan. Kanak won the award for her painting titled 'A Massage from Wind'.
The organiser arranged an award-giving ceremony in Tokyo on July 8.
Bangladeshi expatriate artist GS Kabir received the award on behalf of Kanak Chanpa Chakma and spoke on the works of the artist at the function. The artist plans to arrange a solo painting exhibition in Seoul in next October.
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Concert against corruption held
Cultural Correspondent
Noted singer of ganasangeet, Fakir Alamgir sang his inspiring and revolutionary songs at a concert against corruption on Saturday.
The singer sang his popular numbers including 'Dam diye kinechhi Bangla', 'Alo becho chhola becho', 'Bhat chhitale kaker nai abhab', 'Manusher sathe basabas kori'.
The Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy arranged a discussion, followed by the concert at its Dance and Music Centre at Segun Bagicha in cooperation with the ATN Bangla Multimedia Production Limited.
The singer was accompanied by Zahid Hossain on the keyboards, Rafiq Hossain Khan on the tabla, Nirmal Kumar Das on the dotara, Richard Kishore on the bass guitar, Iftekhab Hossain on the lead guitar and Michael Pradip Paris on the octopad.
Ali Ajgar Khokon worked as the music director of the programme.
Secretary of cultural affairs ministry, ABM Abdul Howk Chowdhury was present as chief guest, while the director general of the Bangladesh National Museum, Samar Paul was special guest. The director of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy attended the discussion.
The discussants vowed to eradicate corruption from society.
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