Rounding up 2016

Considering the difficult times that Bangladesh has faced this year, the cultural scene has not fared so badly. If 2015 deserved an A plus, 2016 could do with an A minus, in spite of the violent spate that shook our lives.

The Nazrul Mela, first of its kind in Bangladesh was organized by the Nazrul Shongeet Shilpi Porishod. As the convenor of the BRAC Bank Nazrul Mela, I took a deep resolve, that no matter what life must continue and if we are the followers of Nazrul, we have to prove it. As the sponsors  stood by their commitment, we saw Nazrul artists from 61 districts of Bangladesh, finding a platform in the Bangla Academy premises from the 29th to 31st October 2016. The security threat did not impede anyone, the rain and hail at the odd time of the year spoilt some of the outdoor activities.

Next came the Lit Fest where foreign delegates dared to take the risk of coming to participate. V S Naipaul stole the limelight, his gesture to visit the 'Lit fest' during such dark hours has really brightened up the scene. I enjoyed poetry sessions by Pakistani poet Fatema Hassan whose feminist finale speaking of being respected as a person (not as a woman) spoke of the universal desire of women. It was followed by two young poets Shehzar Doja from Bangladesh and Syeda Ahmed from NY who spoke about the terrorist attacks in her poems and other IS attacks affecting the entire world and lives therein. The highlight of the festival for me was a documentary screened in the 'Cosmic Tent'. It was titled the `Saints of sin' by Aniruddho Sen. The documentary revealed the personal stories of five ladies in various situations in life. A Professor from India spoke about the role of men verses women in the ancient mythology as each story unfolded and was punctuated with songs by Anusheh Anadil and Palki, Armeen Musa,  her band ghashphoring and lastly a Tagore song by me, `shokhi bhabona kahare bole'… superimposed on a young woman who used to be a man earlier. The topics were taboo and the innermost discussions coming from the mouth of the actual persons added a new dimension to philosophy, sociology, human psychology and other dimensions that make up our mental and physical world. It was  also an example of great collaborative work between India and Bangladesh. A local baul stole my heart, I missed his name.

Folk festival featured next with Kailash Kher lipsing to the music and hoping the audience won't understand. Sushila Raman, Paban Das Baul and some others like the Noorayn sisters stole the hearts of the audience. Some of the items, maynot be termed folk but added glory to the festival. The local bhawayya and bhatiali were missed throughout the event, so were the folk stalwarts of Bangladesh.

Next came the Bengal classical music festival. The first night was mesmerizing with octogenarian Girija Devi singing 'Sudh Kalyan'. However because I was not present in Dhaka, my review is only what I heard from other friends. Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj has created a new style of singing termed 'Jasrangi' a combination of vocal classical by one male and another female. The scales change and the two of them sing two different ragas in two different yet matching  scales during the same time period. I heard that Sanjeev Abhyankar excelled in the Jasrangi style and the Carnatic sisters Ranjani and Gayatri were a favourite of the audience.

Once again the Bangladeshis have proved that they are invincible in every way. When poet Kazi Nazrul Islam was imprisoned for some of his writings, he had written in his famous 'Rajbondir jobanbondi' that what he writes is like the tune emerging from the flute of God. If you snatch the flute, music doesn't stop. God continues to play …. Bangladesh continues to strive…

The author is an Academic,Nazrul exponent and translator