A two-day Nazrul Festival held in Gulshan
For the third time, the Bangladesh Nazrul Sangeet Artists Association hosted the 'Nazrul Festival 2024' in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Dr. Dipu Moni, MP, Minister of Social Welfare, inaugurated the music event at Gulshan Society Lake Park on the afternoon of 8 March . Gulshan Society and the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka co-organized the festival. The main event, dedicated to musician Sudhin Das, started on the first day.
The opening ceremony featured welcoming speeches by Khalil Ahmed, Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma, artist Mofidul Hoq, President of Gulshan Society Omar Sadat, and renowned Nazrul Sangeet artist and festival coordinator Khairul Anam Shakil. On the second day, welcoming remarks were made by Syed Ahsan Habib, Secretary-General of Gulshan Society, and Yakub Ali Khan, President of the Bangladesh Nazrul Sangeet Artists Association, among others.
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Throughout the two-day festival, performances included songs, recitations, and dances inspired by the works of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. Recitations were performed by Shimul Mustafa, Layla Afroz, Shawkat Ali, and Rupa Chakraborty. Dance performances were given by Sharmila Bandopadhyay, Warda Rihab, Prema, Rachel Priyanka Paris, and others.
Both Bangladeshi and Indian renowned Nazrul Sangeet artists presented songs of Kazi Nazrul Islam. From Bangladesh, performers included Khairul Anam Shakil, Salahuddin Ahmed, Yakub Ali Khan, Shahin Samad, Yasmin Mushtari, Nashid Kamal, Ferdous Ara, Bijon Mistri, Tanvir Alam Sajeeb, Afroza Khan Mita, Priyanka Gope, Sharmin Sathi Islam, Afsana Runa, Susmita Devnath Suchi, Layla Afroz, Mirazul Jannat Sonia, Bhaskar Devnath, Mridula Samaddar, Sayeda Sanjida Zohra Bithika, Rezaul Karim, Shravanti Dhar, Monish Sarkar, Sukanya Majumdar Ghosh, among others.
Notable artists from Kolkata, India, also participated, including Monomoy Bhattacharya, Sriradha Bandopadhyay, Payel Kar, Debarati Dutta, Raghav Chattopadhyay, and more.
The festival highlighted significant songs such as 'Anarkoli', 'Noorjahan', 'Jago Nari Jago Bohnishikha', 'Chaitali Chandni Rate', 'Karar Oi Louho Kopat', 'He Priyo Amare Deo Na Bhulite', 'Na Mitite Sadh Mor', 'Pohalo Pohalo Nishi', 'O Bhai Khanti Sonar Cheye Khanti', 'Bagichay Bulbuli Tui', Rate Jodi', 'Mukhe Keno Nahi Bol'.
Coordinator Khairul Anam Shakil stated, "Delivering the entire creative works of our national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam to the people in their pure form is a timely demand. To introduce the vast ongoing project of promoting Nazrul Sangeet in pure tunes and lyrics to the wider society, we organize the Nazrul Festival annually. Our aim is to spread and nurture the ideals and non-communal spirit of our beloved poet among the new generation."
As usual, this year, 125 songs of Kazi Nazrul Islam were officially made available on YouTube for everyone, recorded with professional instrumental accompaniment. Vocalists from Bangladesh, Kolkata in India, North America, and Australia contributed to these songs.
