One can guess from the title, the theme of the soiree was monsoon. Very few poets have captured the different shades of rain and its attachment with human emotions to the same extent as Tagore and Nazrul. Specifically, Nazrul excels in poetry and songs based on monsoon. In his work, rain often manifests change and ushers in a festive mood. Sometimes a night drenched in rain reminds lovers of their objects of affection in some faraway land.

The evening kicked off with a medley of Megher hindola dey poob hawaatey dola and Rumjhum jhum badolo nupoor. Sharmila Bandyopadhyay along with two dancers performed with the chorus rendition. Lack of coordination among the singers was noticeable during parts of the rendition. Often the words were hardly understandable. Perhaps, chorus renditions are not always a brilliant idea.

The next song Esho hey shojolo shyamo ghano deya was also accompanied with dance. Clad in an attractive costume, the mudras (stances) of the dancer complemented the song that captures the craving for rain.

Following that, Chanchalo shyamolo elo gagoney, a kabyageeti performed by Shumon Majumdar was easy on the ear. Perhaps the best performance of the evening was by Anindita Das, who rendered Borosha oi elo borosha, a raaga Meghmallar based kheyal. Anindita may not be a renowned artiste yet, but she certainly has the potential.

Khairul Anam Shakil, a teacher of Chayyanaut, performed a raaga Jayjayanti based number Megh medur boroshae kotha tumi. Shakil's performance was impressive as usual. Next in line were Porodeshi megh jaorey firey, a song that eloquently captures the longing of a lonesome heart for a distant paramour and Rumjhum badolo aji boroshey, a raaga Natmalhar based song by Sharmin Shathi Islam. Other performances of the evening included kaajri numbers like Kajori gahiya esho gopololona.

Bhashshwar Bandyopadhyay and Dahlia Ahmed presented recitals in between the songs. However, part of Dahlia's recital in Hindustani didn't sound natural at all. She has a tendency of over-emoting during recitals. Dance direction by Sharmila Bandyopadhyay was commendable.

Although the programme was for a noble cause, the presentation and sound-management could be better. Perhaps the audience expects something new.

The programme was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Dhaka.