Twenty five and still counting...
Pitha Utshab and adda at The Daily Star
In celebration of the silver jubilee of The Daily Star, the Arts and Entertainment section of the daily held a 'pitha utshab' (traditional cakes festival) along with a vibrant adda and performance of music at AS Mahmud Hall of The Daily Star on January 2. The event, titled, “Boyosh Jokhon Pochish: Pitha o Golpo”, was attended by artistes, singer, actors, theatre activists and members of the Star Family.
Sadya Afreen Mallick, eminent Nazrul exponent and Editor of Star Arts and Entertainment, welcomed all, steering the momentum of the event to a vibrant adda. Mahfuz Anam, Editor and Publisher of The Daily Star, took part in the festival, recounting stories of his youth.
Meanwhile, Close-Up 1 star Salma set off the musical programme. Accomplished ghazal artiste Aloke Kumar Sen earned accolades performing Manna Dey songs, alongside a thumri and a popular Ghulam Ali ghazal “Chupke Chupke”. Noted singer Shelu Barua beautifully presented a Hemanta Mukherjee song “O Nodirey” while Nasimul Mahbub Rubel presented a Sachin Dev Burman song “Borne Gondhe”.
Photos: Sheikh Mehedi Morshed
Young artiste Prerona, daughter of renowned lyricist Kabir Bakul, captivated the crowd with her fantastic performance of two English songs on her guitar: Lady Gaga's “Born This Way” and John Lennon's “Imagine”. Noorjehan Alim, daughter of legendary folk singer Abdul Alim,rendered several folk songs, originally popularised by her father.
Close-up One artiste Sabbir entertained all with his melodious presentation of golden oldies including, “Shobai To Sukhi Hote Chaye” and “Amaye Proshno Korey”. Shamim Ashraf and Lippu Osheem rendered a Hason Raja song and Lalon number respectively.
The presence of actresses -- Bonnya Mirza and Bhabna; playwright Brindaban Das, theatre director Sudip Chakroborthy, TV director Arif Khan, singer Rafiqul Alam, artist Gulshan Hossain, printmaker Asit Mitra and musicologist HQ Chowdhury -- was a major attraction. They also contributed their parts to turn the event into a vibrant adda.
Arts and Entertainment team with Selim SH Chowdhury, (GM production and events, The Daily Star), hosted the programme.