PAHELA FALGUN'S ARTISTIC OFFERINGS
The rebirth of nature comes to our land on Pahela Falgun, after the winter gloom makes way for new hope of Spring, celebrated by poems, songs, flowers, dances, and all kinds of festivities. The endless canvas offered by the arrival of Spring gives artistes infinite opportunities to celebrate the season through their various artistic mediums. The Daily Star spoke to artistes across different expressions and the ways they observe this special occasion.
Sabiha Mahboob, Nazrul exponent
“In the heydays of my career in the '80s, this time of the year called for numerous television appearances, special radio programmes and performances at Bangla Academy and other cultural centres. I have moved to New Zealand with my family since and although the number of performances has slowed down, I am still quite active in my endeavors to practice Nazrul Sangeet. Outside Bangladesh, Pahela Baishakh is usually more festive, and Falgun celebrations tend to be more intimate with friends, family and music and art enthusiasts. We have potluck parties and dress up in the traditional colours of Spring, and hold choral performances rendering Nazrul songs and more. My heart always pines for home during this time of the year, and the memories of Falgun in Bangladesh come flooding back.”
Sohel Rahman, dancer and choreographer
“There is a plethora of festivals across the year which we all celebrate through dance. For our performances, songs are selected according to the season and it can be Nazrul or Rabindra Sangeet, or even contemporary songs. Our costumes depend on the lyrics conveyed through each song. There are many songs celebrating Falgun, and in each song we examine what flowers, or colours they speak of before deciding on the dancers' attires. Similarly dance forms also vary – if we perform to a Tagore or Nazrul song, which do not have their own unique dance forms, we adapt various forms of classical and folk dances to suit the song and its themes.”
Ashit Mitra, printmaker/visual artist
I do feel the blow of sudden southern air prior to the onset of Spring, as I utter PB Shelley's famous lines -- “If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” This year, I am feeling it intensely. I don't know why this happens. For me, Pahela Falgun heralds a new feeling, a new beginning in life. Nature gets a new lease on life. I desire to embrace a fresh start of life. I think of expressing a new language in my creation of arts. Nature and life are the prime subjects of my artworks. My joys and sense of beauty mingle with the vastness of open-wide sky and my artworks get adorned with new colours, lines and forms.
Efat Razowana Reya, visual and new media artist
“I feel young, bright and vigorous with the onset of Spring in nature. It helps me find a new language of art. I can say the advent of every Spring has brought about drastic changes in my life and I have responded to those changes positively. Spring gives me energy. I feel like Spring, and not the Summer, is the beginning of a new year. Nature gets adorned with colours and Spring has a universal appeal to the life of every Bangalee. I remember the days of my one-year study in Chittagong University (CU). The reddened and yellowish layers of Krishnachura and Sonalu of CU campus motivated me to portray most of my favourite watercolours. The spring-time nature always inspires me to experiment new styles and presentation of my artworks, career and life as a whole.”
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