Twenty five years of Warfaze

To celebrate twenty five years of the existence and the perseverance of the legendary band Warfaze, a much anticipated reunion was held on the 15th of October at the Sheraton Hotel's Winter Garden, with tickets priced at Tk.1000 each. The gates were opened at around seven in the evening and once people entered the Winter Garden, it was evident from their expressions that they were quite impressed. The grandiose decorations and the vast stage with a huge logo of Warfaze set as the backdrop was something much of a rare sight, that too at a concert.

A short while later, all the instruments that had been set up on the stage were finally set to action. The show started off with the present line-up of Warfaze, i.e. Mizan (Vocals), Kamal (Guitars), Oni (Guitars), Roger (Bass), Shams (Keyboard) and Tipu (Drums). The band began with 'Hotasha' but their performance was constantly impeded due to the presence of technical problems. The crisis was finally taken care of and despite the obstructed beginning, the band kick-started once again with 'Jibondhara' followed by the mellow track 'Aalo' and 'Moharaaj', the guitarists doing an outstanding job.

Subsequently Balam was introduced on the stage and the crowd's response to this was horrendous. But Balam's reaction to the situation was laudable and said to the crowd- 'Let's do this for Warfaze'. He sang only two songs which were 'Joto Durei Thako' and 'Shomoy', even though his voice didn't really suit the genre. However, everyone's bitterness faded away the moment the infamous Bassbaba Sumon was brought on stage. Both Kamal and Bassbaba shared some memories of old times before they presented the song 'Protichchobi' which happened to be the only track that Bassbaba had ever sung for Warfaze. Next, Bassbaba (on bass) along with the present line-up, performed the extraordinary track 'Oshamajik' which got the crowd going wild but it could be told that they yearned to hear Sunjoy's vocals on this number.

The person who stepped into the stage after Bassbaba was the unforgettable and not to mention very good looking (ahem) Russel Ali, who received a very warm welcome from the audience. But before getting down to business, both he and Bassbaba corrected the printing mistake on the banner by spraying the letters 'Re' next to 'Union'. While he was on stage, the most spectacular performance that took place was the instrumental track that had Russel, Oni and Kamal on guitars, Bassbaba on bass, Shams on keyboard and guest drummer Nazim from Eclipse on the drums. The performance was undoubtedly a huge treat for all the rock and metal lovers present.

Babna, the one who had been a part of so many famous tracks of the band, hit the stage shortly afterwards. He lent his vocals on several songs (mostly slow numbers) including 'Jokhon' which had the crowd singing along with him. After Babna, Romel appeared along with RBR to cover two tracks from Warfaze's album 'Shantir Bornon'.

Finally, as the show slowly drew near its end, the spectators guessed that it was the moment for the legendary Sunjoy to make his entrance. They began chanting Sunjoy's name and a few seconds later Sunjoy, all in blood and flesh, appeared on stage. The crowd went crazy, seeing him after ten whole years!! As the chaos died down, Sunjoy began with 'Shadhikar' with Russel, Oni and Kamal on guitars and Babna on bass...the lineup consisting of members who had once created history twenty five years ago! At that point of time, a lot of people were so touched that they were in tears. It truly was a 'moment' and everyone listened intently as Sunjoy's uniquely mesmerizing voice filled the ballroom without giving any hints of his detachment from music for all these years. He sang the melodious and uplifting track 'Boshe Achi Eka' along with a few other numbers. But before he took a break, he did a rendition of a Deep Purple track after which he requested Babna to sing one more song, 'Obak Bhalobasha'. Later, Sunjoy did 'Mone Pore', the only song that he has ever written and composed for Warfaze and dedicated the song to his better half. The last song that was performed that evening to give the show its proper ending was 'Ekti Chele', with the Russel, Oni, Roger, Babna and Kamal on guitars and bass, Sunjoy and Mizan on vocals with Tipu on drums and Shams on keyboard. It was sight to behold and with all the talented musicians on stage together literally bringing the house down!!

The evening of the 15th of October was a remarkable one and every single person who attended the event claimed that their money had been spent well. We thank Warfaze for giving us twenty five years of wonderful music and wish them all the best. The event was sponsored by Carnival Records and its media partners were Radio Today and Sonata Marketing & Communications.

By Nayeema Reza

Living in a secluded area of the city, with most of my frequently visited places lying in the farther edges away from me, it is required of me to pass several interesting locations. Dumps and cinemas, for one.

One thing that has always bothered me during these passages through the dumps is that every time I go back there, the next day- all the garbage seems to magically disappear, making way for newer garbage to disappear before the next day after. I wouldn't find this all that moogling (mind boggling), if it wasn't for one certain observation… Um. Rather, a lack of one certain observation.

Where does the garbage go? How does the garbage go where it goes? Is there like some secret underground passes underneath the dumps that takes the garbage away through some complicated but very convenient and futuristic means of transportation that says, “eco-friendly” in large green friendly letters? I sincerely doubt it. This is, after all, our beloved Dhaka. It could be that someone made a deal with some outerworld species that makes productive and useful use of such wastes, while we get space in return. Wastes, which are, otherwise rare in their world, and space, otherwise rare in our world…

Nah. It couldn't be. That'd be just absurd… I heard from someone or somewhere that crows help in cleaning up garbage, that is to say- they eat trash. Literally. So, maybe they have a hand in this amazingly convenient and apparently efficient wastage system… But, I really doubt there's enough crows for the job. Is the trash used for fuel? Maybe, junkies all over Bangladesh distribute it among themselves, and smoke it off. That'd be rather efficient, and probably harmful… Nah… I doubt that, too…

Has anyone ever seen the disposal system at work? Perhaps, a huge blue truck, by now turned to a rotten husk of its former glory dulled by years of use, drives the garbage out to sea, and dumps it all into the big blue ocean. But… that's bad, right?

The disposal system here in Bangladesh, is kinda like Global Warming. It's a myth. Even though it's happening right under our noses, we can't really see it. Probably acute blindness.

Yet another wonder that happens right under our noses, and that we do see is terribly, bad movies. You have to wonder at the complete lack of creativity of the people when every movie that comes out every day has titles that consist of words like: mama, bhai, baap, chacha, shaheb, mia, etc etc.

Have I become so westernized that I fail to find these titles captivating, and alluring? Of course, it's downright impossible for anyone to be allured and captivated by the movies in question. They're, after all, aimed at an entirely different audience: laborers, the poorer folks of the community, the underprivileged, and so on. But, just because it's for them, have they no right to better stuff than that? They're still paying to watch the movie… In the cover of darkness, with their shady friends and shady motives, and those shady and scantily clad figures sulking around the corners… Regardless of these, one is still entitled to movies that does not merely consist of a pronoun, or 'familiar' title.

This is the opposite of Global Warming. It happens right under some people's noses, they see it, and yet they're content with it. There's no accounting for taste, you see… Some butcheries in the art of titling: Pintu mia, Chacchu, Baba keno chakor, Bhai keno bor, Sir keno gorib, and so on. Clearly, I don't think I'm the only one to think that this needs to stop. It must… If only the people who actually watches these movies read this newspaper. Perhaps, they would have some sort of enlightening vision, enabling them to stand up against the oppressors and do something about this horrible condition that they're in…

Perhaps… the garbage is served at the cinema.

By beb-E

The place I made up my mind to visit was Premtali, Godagari Upazila, Rajshahi. On a bright sunny afternoon, I set off towards my destination with my mother. This would be my first experience of villages in Rajshahi. After we arrived at Godagari, we went to a relative's home for a stopover of around fifteen minutes. Then we were off again, on our way to Premtali. How excited I felt !

Premtali is widely known among the Hindu community for the "Sree Gouranga Deb Mandir" established by Sree Norottam Thakur. It is one of the holy places visited by devout Hindu pilgrims for the purification of the mind and soul. Legends state that Sree Norottom Thakur, born in 1531 A.D., was the son the Raja Krishnanando Dutta and Narayani Devi. He left home and became a follower of the saint Sree Chaityna Deb. In 1557 A.D., he established the temples of Khetur Dham, and preached the Baishnob religion until his death in 1611 A.D.

We reached the Premtali temple at around 4:30pm. The enchantment of the natural beauty around the temple fascinated me. Really, I thought such calm and peaceful place would be very appropriate for contemplating and calling the name of Almighty. I felt the nature call out to me, penetrating deep within my heart and touching my vigilant senses. We entered into the sacred dimensions of the Khetur Dham. There are Sree Sree Narayan temple Sree Sree Nat Mandir, Sree Radha Gobinda temple, Asan Bati Temple of Sree Norottom Thakur and Sree Sree Shib temple. The aesthetic designs of the temples are truly transcendental. The Narayan temple features different carvings, while the dome-like structure of Radha Gobinda temple bears immense similarity to the Jagannath temple in India. A little flag flying at the top adds to the whole effect. Every year on 1st Kartik, the Khetur Festival is organised by the Mandir Committee.

There is a river close to the temple, which is mainly used for bathing. People irrespective of caste, creed and religion come to explore and learn the history of Gouranga Deb Mandir popularly known as the Gouranga Bari. Approximately 3 lakh people join the fair and connect themselves to the spirit of holiness and love for every living being. But for me, the most interesting discovery was the Tamal tree, which was reputed to be 700 years old, and under whose shade Sree Norottom Thakur meditated and purportedly found God. In this belief, the Hindu people worship this age old tree.

At last, it was time to go back home. As the car drove on, I began to reminisce about the things I'd seen. I don't care whether science questions God's existence but my firm belief is that this space had been created by someone powerful, superior to every living organism, and that could only be God. Science may not be able to see Him but we, human beings, can feel Him.

By Shatabdi Biswas