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Rocking the stage again
After much anticipation, Rock the Stage 2 hit the stage on Friday, January 22 at Fu Wang Bowling Club, Gulshan. The event was organized by Uchchash events, with media partners Radio Today and amadergaan.com, and sponsors Pizza Inn and Checkers. Expectations soared high as Black and Artcell were slated to perform together after a long time. The line-up also included Arbovirus, Nemesis, Shunno, Bohemian, Powersurge, Bonny Prince, Circus Police, and adamant. The concert opened with Adamant, who did mostly covers. Bonny Prince followed with their Tool covers, and then Circus Police took the stage with their customary Rage covers, as well as their own song “Thank you for not smoking”. Their guitarist got a lot of crowd appreciation for the guitar solos. The concert gradually began to gain more momentum by the time Bohemian took to the stage, with their U2 covers, and Bob Dylan/GnR's “Knocking on Heaven's Door”, finishing off with their own songs Jani Na and Cholo Cholo. Nemesis brought the house down with fan favourites Joyoddhoni, Dhushor Bhabna, Nirbashon, Biborno Sroshta, Obocheton, and D2 from their upcoming album. This set the trend for Black, Powersurge, and Arbovirus, who all performed their own songs. Artcell rounded off the night to many cheers and requests, performing an instrumental track, and their popular hits, including Kandari Hushiar and Amar Poth Chola. Shunno was missed, but had been unable to perform due to personal reasons, but other than that, and a few minor technical difficulties, the concert went on without any drawbacks. The slogan for Rock the Stage 2 read “Let's bring in 2010 with a Bang!!” and they kept their promise. The bands performed with great gusto, raking in huge success, the audience got their expectations' worth and not a single fan was left disappointed. By Tanzia Amreen Haq
Transformation of the object
The 2nd Solo Ceramics Exhibition by Artist Mohammed Rezaur Rahman “Transformation of the object”, held from 17-20 January in Drik Gallery, was an effort to feel, think, see, touch and share a life that exists within all living beings and still life. It was a step by step way of Transformation. Some ceramics work was on tea-pots and other house hold objects, but these were not only regular things, these were ideas coming from objects. It might come from rhythmic arrangements of dead fossils or deep feeling of beauty which the artist tried to express through Ceramics media. The love for Ceramics makes him work in this medium with an imaginative mind and feeling.
The exhibition can be regarded as concrete within reality and abstract. It tends to show the shades within singularity displaying how variable it is. It is an exposition in a uniquely different dimension reflecting on the extent of creativity and imagination. By Zabir Hasan
Blessed by the goddess
For example, the department of Economics had their 'Devi' smiling from the middle of a huge Tk 1000 note. The CSE department had their goddess encased in a giant PC monitor while the Geology department's goddess stood amidst the ruins of several earthquake-stricken buildings, offering hope and blessings even in the face of severe calamities. Microbiology department's mondop had a similar theme. Their 'Devi' stood with a reassuring smile in front of a gigantic HIV virus (hand-made by the students from recycle materials like plastic bottles, stapler pins and bamboo sticks), as if standing guard against all sorts of disease and decay. Marketing department's mondop was made of banana tree parts which cost them almost Tk 48,000 (their budget was over 3 lakh). Pharmacy department chose a replica of a human heart as their mondop's central theme and the Botany department simply placed their goddess in the middle of a large, luscious flower in full bloom- the universal symbol of all that is beautiful. The Institute of Fine Arts (Charukola) constructed a huge statue of the goddess in the middle of the Jogonnaath Hall pond. The structure created an illusion of the goddess emerging from the calm water which, in itself, was amazing. The pooja took place early morning at each of the mondops, which were afterwards left for public display. The Jogonnaath Hall playground thronged with people who were seen marveling at the creative artistry of the structures. The Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University, Mr. A A M S Arefin Siddique, visited the festive grounds in the afternoon. Other halls of the university also arranged their own versions of 'Baani Orchona' but they were not nearly as vast in proportion. The day-long celebrations ended in a merry mood of festivity and promises of universal religious harmony. By Raisa Rafique |
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Just look at Nature. The butterfly, in its caterpillar stage, creates its little cocoon, goes inside, and when time comes, and after quite a work out, it emerges, transformed into a heavenly creature. It stretches its newfound wings and flies away to discover its new vistas! This inability to understand the nature of change within our known universe restricts our third eye from seeing the beauty of transformation. 
The exhibition was inaugurated by Mr. Advocate Abdul Mannan Khan, the Honorable State Minster for Housing & public Works, Govt. of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh as the Chief Guest. Professor Harun-or-Rashid, Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Dhaka, was present as Special Guest on the occasion. Professor MD. Rafiqun Nabi, Dean, faculty of Fine Art, University of Dhaka, was present as honorable Guest on the occasion.
Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge and wisdom. She is also known as the divine symbol of beauty and calm, the 'Devi' of music and cultural arts. Hindu rituals celebrate the 'Ponchomee Tithi' of the Bangla month Maagh (known as the sacred 'Sree Ponchomee' according to the lunar schedule) in religious observance of the Saraswati Pooja, one of the biggest yearly religious festivals of the Hindus. The students of the University of Dhaka have been organising a special event named 'Baani Orchona' in celebration of Saraswati Pooja for nearly four years. This year (January 20, 2010, Wednesday), in continuation of the tradition, the students of different departments had come together in the playground of Jogonnaath Hall with their very own versions of Pooja 'mondop's which were both creative and interesting.