As thousands of people lost their jobs due to the pandemic, artistes, especially musicians, have been facing similar challenges, with the closures of stage shows and concerts.

Hundreds of musicians and artistes are currently unemployed, surviving barely from previous savings. As no one expected the pandemic to last this long, several artistes left Dhaka, in search of alternative employment. Those who are still in Dhaka, are struggling to make ends meet.

"Almost 20 musicians from Chattogram left Dhaka at the beginning of the pandemic, as they went through great financial ordeals," shares renowned musician Kumar Bishwajit. "Several of them started online business ventures, while few of them refused to do so. We don't know how long this will go on and I think we should all help each other out in these troubling times."

"Recently, musician Hanif Mohammad informed me about the hundred musicians in Rampura and how most of them left Dhaka to look for other jobs," says singer Dilshad Nahar Kona. "No one expected to face such uncertainties and no one knows how long this will go on."

All kinds of festivals and programmes have been cancelled this year. Though Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, on behalf of the government, arranged financial assistance for struggling musicians initially, according to the artistes, unfortunately, their help was not sufficient.

"The overall condition of the music industry is not good," says singer Asif Akbar. "Though things are gradually picking up pace, a lot of damage has already been done."

Translated by Rasheek Tabassum Mondira