International Bangla Literature Conference opens today
A grand International Bangla Literature Conference begins today at the capital's Bangla Academy, bringing together eminent wordsmiths and cultural personalities from India and Bangladesh for three days of seminars, discussions and a variety of programmes.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the conference as chief guest at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium this afternoon, where noted authors such as Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Satyam Roy Chowdhury, Pradip Bhattacharya, Sunilmoy Ghosh and Rabeya Khatun will speak. Nasiruddin Yousuff will deliver the opening address, and Hasan Azizul Haq will deliver welcome address. After the inauguration, Nirmalendu Goon will read from his poetry, while Asaduzzaman Noor will also recite. The cultural programme will include perfromance of solo songs by Shrabani Sen, Anima Mukti Gomez, Khairul Anam Shakil and chorus by artistes of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Hasan Arif will anchor the programme.
The event will be held at the two auditoriums and the three open stages of Bangla Academy. An illustrious lineup of authors and cultural personalities including Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Samaresh Majumdar, Sunilmoy Ghosh, Satyam Roy Chowdhury, Abhijit Sen, Goutam Ghose, Amar Mitra, Kazuhiro Watanabe, Manoj Mitra, Jogen Chowdhury, and others will be visiting Dhaka on the occasion, among others. Noted Bangladeshi writers, academics and cultural personalities including Hasan Azizul Haque, Nasiruddin Yousuff, Rabeya Khatun, Shamsuzzaman Khan, Abul Momen, Syed Azizul Haque, Golam Mustafa, Professor Muntasir Mamun, Abul Hasnat, Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, Abdullah Al Mamun, Moinul Ahsan Saber, Muhammad Samad, Anisul Hoque, Selina Hossain, Imdadul Haque Milon, Rafiqullah Khan, Tanvir Mokammel, Muhammad Zafar Iqbal and many others will participate at various events of the conference.
Apart from six seminars, literary discussions and informal adda, a number of cultural programmes will embellish the conference. On the opening day, screening of two films “Surjadighal Bari” and “Padma Nadi'r Majhi” will be held while theatre production “Noddiu Natim” by Mad Thetar will be staged. On the second day, timeless Bangla songs, folk songs and poetry will be presented, alongside Dhaka Theatre's production “Dhabomaan”. On the third day, there will be a traditional pala production titled “Rupchan Sundori'r Pala”, and later in the evening there will be another poetry and songs session. Theatre will also stage their play “Payer Awaj Pawa Jaye” on the closing day.
The closing ceremony (to be held on January 15 at the Nazrul Mancha) will be attended by former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee as chief guest. Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, eminent Indian artist Jogen Chowdhury, Sarju Rai (parliamentary minister of Jharkhand) and Bangla Academy DG Shamsuzzaman Khan. Finance Minister AMA Muhith will chair the session, while Professor Emeritus Anisuzzaman will deliver the closing address. Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya will perform songs at the ceremony.
The conference is being organised by the International Bangla Literature Conference Organisers' Council, convened by Professor Emeritus Anisuzzaman and with Nasiruddin Yousuff as chief coordinator. It is sponsored by the Finance Ministry and Cultural Affairs Ministry of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, with assistance from Friends of Bangladesh and Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan.