With the performance of the song titled “Manusher majhe boshobash kori, manushe milechhe thai, manush aamar sujon swajan, manusher gaan gaai…..” by popular artiste Fakir Alamgir, the three-day Gono Sangeet Utsab (people’s song festival) ended recently. Performing another song titled “Bhoy ki morone………….,” written by Charon Kobi Mukunda Das, Fakir Alamgir marked the ending of the festival by paying tributes to all the legendary people’s song singers of home and abroad including Charon kobi Mukunda Das, Salil Chowdhury, Abdul Jabber and Joan Baez. “Chhirey Phelo Driro Haatey Chakranter Jaal”, with this slogan, Ganosangeet Shamonnay Parishad (GSP), in association with Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy organised the festival at the Shawkat Osman Memorial Auditorium of the Central Public Library in the city. A total of 33 cultural organisations from different corners of the country took part in this event. Hundreds of audiences thronged to the festival to listen to those songs, which generated the spirit among us during our liberation war, language movement and anti-British movement. On the concluding and third day’s evening (last Sunday) of the festival, several cultural troupes including Udichi Shilpigosthi (central and Mymensingh Sangsad), Shikha Sangsad from Rangpur, Dhaka Achik Cultural Academy (a cultural troupe of Garos), Sundaram from Patuakhali, Hrishij Shilpi Gosthi, Kranti Shilpi Gosthi, Ustad Momotaz Ali Khan Sangeet Academy performed several popular songs. Udichi Shipi Gosthi (Mymensingh) expressed the history of ‘Tebhaga Andolon’ (an anti-British movement in 1945 led by Ila Mitra) rendering the song “Aar debo na, aar debo na, rokte bona dhaan…..,” while the troupe also staged another song titled “Jani parbena, shotru ra parbe na, kere nite jonogoner odhikar……”. With these two songs, the performers reminded of the audiences about the historic movements of our country by which the heroic sons of the country achieved our political and cultural liberation. Later, a group dance with the song titled “Purbo digontey surjo uthechhe, rokto laal, rokto laal, rokto laal……” mesmerised hundreds of audiences of the auditorium. Central Sangsad of Udichi Shilpi Gosthi create an awareness among the audiences by performing an anti-imperialistic song “Biswograshi danob take, biswobashi darao ruche….” With this song, the artistes protested the ongoing military attack upon several countries by USA. Sundaram from Patuakhali pointed out some unpleasant activities in the society what should not be happened. They sang, “Muktijoddho nai ki deshe, nai ki chhele Bangla maa’r, chokher samne amon kando sojyo hoi na aar…..”. The troupe, however, encouraged the people for maintaining peace in everywhere by singing “Juddho chai na, shanty chai, aamra prithibite shantir potaka urai….”. Meanwhile, Dhaka Achik Cultural Academy, a cultural troupe of Garo (an ethnic minority of Bangladesh), performed three songs in their local language. Though the audiences could not realise the meaning of those songs, their jingle hypnotised the viewers a lot. Earlier, on Saturday, eight cultural organisations including Ganoshilpi Sangstha from Pabna, Bonhi Shikha, Udichi, Awami Shilpi Goshthi from Chittagong, Antor Bajao and Biborton presented patriotic and people’s songs at the festival. Members of nine organisations including Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi Goshti (Jessore), Sangeet Niketan (Chandpur), Rabindra Sangeet Shammilan Parishad (Rajshahi), Satyen Sen Shilpi Goshthi (Dhaka) and Sargaam Lalitkala Academy (Dhaka) performed group songs on the first day of the three-day festival. Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra artistes Kalyani Ghosh, Timir Nandi and Fakir Alamgir rendered solo numbers, while cultural organisations Udichi Shilpi Gosthi, Satyen Sen Shilpi Gosthi and Sargam Lalitkala Academy performed on the inaugural session of the festival.
Courtesy of The New Nation
