Bongo Sammelon: Essence of Bangladesh across the sea

Shamim Ara Nipa (left); Shibli MohammadCultural Correspondent

Nrityanchal, the Bangladeshi dance troupe headed by Shibli Mohammad and Shamim Ara Nipa, recently travelled to San Francisco to attend the 'Bongo Sammelon,' a grand cultural festival, at the invitation of expatriate Bengalis. The 12-member troupe (including Shibli and Nipa) staged a 45-minute performance at the festival. The two-day festival concluded on July 4 at San Jose.

Shipli said, “I've wanted to attend this festival for a long time as it gives Nrityanchal an opportunity to take our dance to the expatriate community. We danced on the concluding day of the festival, in between the performances of noted artistes from West Bengal -- Shrikanta Acharya, Lopamudra Mitra and Shaan. Other highlights included a performance by renowned classical dancer Tanushree Shankar. We were quite nervous at the beginning. But as we started, we were heartened by the response.

“Our performance had four parts, the longest being a folk-based composition. During the 45-minute performance, we received resounding applause from the audience.”

Nipa said, “The audience enjoyed the innovative elements of our recital. The audiences were largely Indian, and to them Indian dance and classical dance are synonymous. However, our performance brought a breath of fresh air from our land: The magic of changing seasons, the shimmering sun, the heavy rain, and the unadulterated folk tunes, all of which touched the hearts of the audience. Somehow, our performance made the audience nostalgic about their native land.

“We consider ourselves fortunate to be able to represent our country at the festival. As for Nrityanchal, it was a challenge and we got a tremendous feedback.”

The Bangladeshi troupe also included eminent singers Runa Laila, Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya and Khairul Anam Shakil.

Singer Runa Laila performed at the festival on July 3. About the festival, the diva said, "This is a laudable initiative which brings together artistes from both Bangladesh and West Bengal on the same stage. The festival gives expatriates from West Bengal and Bangladesh to share and exchange ideas."

Artiste Khairul Anam Shakil said, "The festival was held on July 2,3 and 4. My performance opened the programme on July 3. I rendered Nazrul Sangeet, Rezwanan Chowdhury Bannya sang Rabindra Sangeet and Rathindranath Roy performed Bangladeshi folk songs. Performances by Bangladeshi artistes were highly appreciated. Around 7,000 expatriate Bengalis -- from US, Canada and even UK -- registered for the festival. There was a fair at the venue offering everything Bengali -- food, handicrafts and what not. This was truly a joyous occasion.”