During the early days of Bangla music, maestros like Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam chose to compose the lyrics as well as the tunes of their own songs respectively. However, over time the practice changed, whereby some artistes specialised in penning the words while others solely focused on tunes. Fortunately, when the perfect combination of the two art forms occurred, what resulted were classic songs that embellished the testament of our musical heritage.

Haimanti Rakshit and Samarjit Roy. Photo: Sheikh Mehedi Morshed

In order to celebrate the lyricists and composers of the 20th century and emphasise on the songs that were born from their beautiful blend of talent, Star Melodies, an initiative of The Daily Star that promotes Bangla music, hosted a musical soiree yesterday evening titled Kotha O Shurer Omor Juti. Sadya Afreen Mallick, Chief, Culture Initiatives, The Daily Star, hosted the programme, while Mahfuz Anam, Editor and Publisher, The Daily Star greeted the houseful audience with a welcome speech.

Layeqa Bashir, Syeda Noorun Nazia and Debjani Dey from UAP. Photo: Sheikh Mehedi Morshed

Performers from University of Asia Pacific (UAP) initiated the musical event with Gaaneri Khatai Shorolipi Likhe. Veteran artiste Rafiqul Alam memserised the audience with numbers like Ekti Doyel Boney Daakle, Ei Jibone Ami Jaare Cheychi, Amar Shawpne Dekha Rajkonna Thake and more. The audible gestures of appreciation from the audience made the evening more entertaining. Iffat Ara Nargis enthralled the packed auditorium with her melodious voice. Renowned lyricist K G Mostofa was also present at the event. He graced the stage to say a few words about his journey as a young poet to becoming one of the most prominent lyricists of Bangla music. Other artistes who performed at the programme include Haimanti Rakshit, Samarjit Roy and more. The magical evening concluded with the performance of E Shudhu Gaaner Din by Iffat Ara Nargis.