A Bengal Foundation press conference in October is usually a call for celebration itself for us journalists. It invariably means the announcement of the Bengal Classical Music Festival, and the list of new and returning musical maestros to the 'biggest classical music festival in the world' in the last week of November.

Yesterday at the Westin, it was different. The air lacked that excitement as journalists took their seats, and Luva Nahid Choudhury, as always, greeted them. After a couple of audiovisuals and live performances by students of the Bengal Parampara Sangeetalay music school underlining the impact of Bengal Foundations initiative, a visibly distressed Abul Khair, chairman of Bengal Foundation and the initiator of the festival, uttered the dreaded news of the festival being cancelled.

“When I was planning this festival, to take a small-audience chamber concert to a stadium, not many people believed in me. But people like Matiur Rahman (Editor, the daily Prothom Alo) and Mahfuz Anam (Editor, The Daily Star) gave me support, and from that year you have seen what this festival has grown into today,” he said. 

“I had said last year that we will return with the festival if the government allows us, and that dreaded concern has come true,” Abul Khair said. “I am sure they have their reason, and maybe some big plan for which they could not allocate the venue. We are very grateful to the government for all the support we have received. If they didn't provide the security and other arrangement, we could not have made it the 'world's largest classical music festival.'”

“It is very painful for all of us to be cancelling this event, after completing all preparations. I lost my uncle in '99, my son in 2000; Today I feel that same pain again,” a visibly distressed Abul Khair said.

“I only have one request to the government, to not let this festival be lost. If it goes away we will lose something big. I would like to request the Prime Minister to give instructions to organise this festival in Bangladesh. If we lose the consistency of this festival we will lose credibility to the artistes who come here every year, and to our large audience. Bengal Foundation will be happy to provide any assistance they require, because we have received all assistance from them.”

“Many people think we take the venue for free. We pay the entire rent for the venue, we pay all necessary taxes to the government, but we have still kept it free for the audience, because we want to develop their taste, to enrich them and make them more humane.”

“We have proven our organizational success repeatedly. We did a large-scale Bengal Cultural Festival in a conservative city like Sylhet, without any problem. But since many internationally-acclaimed artistes are coming, we could not take the risk of doing it elsewhere; because providing security and taking care of the artistes and you all are our responsibility. I apologise to all of you.”

“We can only rest three months after each festival; its entire planning and arrangement takes place over eight months leading to the festival. So we cannot really change the dates of this festival at the last minute. That is why we have to cancel it, after completing all other preparation,” he concluded.