Soumitra and Kazi Arif receive Kazi Sabyasachi Award

Eminent personalities, artistes, elocutionists and people from diverse strata of society flocked together at Kazi Sabyasachi Memorial Award 2016 ceremony on March 2, at the main auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum.

To observe the 37th death anniversary of Kazi Sabyasachi -- a prominent elocutionist and eldest son of our National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, an award titled Kazi Sabyasachi Memorial Award has been instituted this year. The annual award will be conferred on two persons -- one from Bangladesh and another from India.

Kazi Sabyasachi's family arranged the award event, where Professor emeritus Anisuzzaman attended as chief guest while Professor emeritus Rafiqul Islam, also the chairman of Nazrul Institute Trustee Board, presided over the programme. Eminent personalities including Barrister Rafique-Ul Huq, Dhaka University Vice Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique, poet-playwright Syed Shamsul Haq and eminent thespian Ramendu Majumdar, president of Sammilito Sangskritik Jote Golam Kuddus and executive director of Nazrul institute Ikram Ahmed shared memories of Kazi Sabyasachi. Khilkhil Kazi, daughter of Kazi Sabyasachi, delivered welcome address at the programme.         

Kazi Sabyasachi, known to friends as Sunny, was the first to record the recitation of Nazrul's classic “Bidrohi”. He worked hard to reach out to the masses through the works of his celebrated father.

Professor Anisuzzaman mentioned Kazi Sabyasachi's art of elocution as succinct and meaningful, while Syed Shamsul Haq termed Kazi Sabyasachi's artistic voice as the inner voice of Kazi Nazrul Islam.    

Legendary Indian actor-elocutionist Soumitra Chatterjee and noted Bangladeshi elocutionist Kazi Arif received the Kazi Sabyasachi Memorial Award 2016. The award winners received taka 1 lakh, a crest, Uttario and bouquet each from Uma Kazi, wife of Kazi Sabyasachi. Earlier, family members of Kazi Sabyasachi greeted the guests and award winners with uttario and bouquets.

Soumitra Chatterjee shared his memories with Sunny, as the duo worked together for All India Radio and recited poems on many stages. Kazi Arif, terming Kazi Sabyasachi as his Guru, shared memories of the pioneer elocutionist.   

“Sunny singlehandedly kept alive the art of elocution at one stage. Magic revolved around in his voice. A surge of inspiring emotion would work instantly listening to his majestic vocal,” expressed Soumitra Chatterjee. The living legend later enthralled the audience with his performance of a Nazrul poem “Amar Koifiot”.

A cultural programmed  followed at the venue where many noted Bangladeshi and Indian artistes including Khilkhil Kazi, Khalid Hossain, Bhaswar Bandyopadhyay, Ferdous Ara, Khairul Anam Shakil, Yasmin Mushtari, Salahuddin Ahmed, Sujit Mustafa, Yakub Ali Khan, Maidul Islam, Bijoylakshmi Barman, Robin Mukhopadhyay, Monomoy Bhattacharya, Shampa Kundu and Mitali Banerjee performed songs and poems composed by Kazi Nazrul Islam.