Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury's recitation evening today

Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury will perform Tagore poems “Nirjharer Swapnabhango”, “1400 Sal”, “Pran”, “Hothaat Dekha”, “Tomar Sristir Path”, “Sonar Tori”, “Porichoy”, “Proshno”, “Balaka”, “Otithi” and “Prithibi”. He will also recite several Tagore songs “Bhalobeshe Sakhi”, “Tumi Sondhyaro Meghomala”, “Krishnakoli”, “Emono Din-e Taar-e Bola Jaye” and “Tobu Mon-e Rekho”.

“My father Mohammad Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury's grandfather Khan Bahadur Abdul Aziz was an educationist who had a close relationship with our National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. The poet visited his residence in Chittagong in 1926 and 1929. He also wrote several poems --“Banglar Aziz”, “Shishu Jadukor”, “Batayan Pashe Gubak Torur Sari”, “Sindhu” and “Bahar Nahar”, named after my father and his sister Shamsunnahar Mahmud. The Rebel Poet also dedicated one of his poems,“Sindhu Hindol”,  to my father,” said Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury.

The artiste will go down memory lane by presenting poems that Kazi Nazrul Islam wrote at their residence in Chittagong. Alongside, he will perform several other poems – “Bidrohi”, “Nari” and “Samyabadi” at the event.

Bengal Foundation will produce Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury's latest recitation album “Praner Joybarta” compiling the artiste's featured performances of today. 

A few years ago, a pair of CDs, featuring recordings of Tagore songs by Rezwana Chowdhury Bonnya and Sadi Mohammad and recitation of Tagore poems by Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury were launched in Dhaka. Featuring records of Tagore songs and poems, another album “Anandalok-e” was launched from Kolkata, India. Noted Elocutionist Soumitra Chatterjee, Modhumonti Moitra and Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury recorded poems while Sree Radha Bandyopadhyay, Nasreen Shams, Smita Adhikari, Sastika Mukhopadhyay, Trishit Chowdhury, Prabuddha Raha, Shantanu Roy Chowdhury and Indranil Sen recorded songs for the album.

Another audio cassette titled “Shudhu Tomar Bani”, featuring records of Tagore songs and poems by four siblings -- songs by Nasreen Shams and Tazeen Chowdhury: and recitation by Selina Bahar Zaman and Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury   was launched in the mid-'80s.  

Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury started recitation in his childhood through lending his voice to a popular radio programme “Khelaghar” in 1949. He also presented Bangla news in BTV during the mid- '60s while he has a four-decade long news presentational career in Voice of America.