Aloke Sen mesmeries audience with Ghazals

Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) organised an evening of Ghazals by reputed singer Aloke Kumar Sen at Kobi Sufia Kamal Auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum in Dhaka on April 10.

Harsh Vardhan Shringla, High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh graced the event as chief guest. Renowned classical singer Anil Kumar Saha and other eminent artistes including Professor Nashid Kamal and Sujit Mustafa also attended the programme.

Aloke Sen set off the soiree performing a thumri based on Raga Desh, in which he created musical appeal with the stanza “Mora Saiyan Bulawe Adhi Raat Ko”. The artiste rendered both popular and lesser-known Ghazals composed by Mirza Ghalib, Saghar Siddiqui, Qateel Shifai and popularly recorded by Ghulam Ali, Mehdi Hassan, Jagjit Singh and others.

His repertoire included “Hai Dua Yaad Magar”, “Yaron Kisi Qatil Se Kabhi Pyar Na Mango”, “Aye Duniya Keya Tujhse Kahein”, “Hum Ko Kis Ke Gham Ne Mara”, “Aye Husn-e-be Parwah Tujhe”, “Hazaron Khwahishein Aisi Ke”, “Dil Hi To Hai Na Sango” “Aah Ko Chahiye” and “Muhabbat Karne Wale Kam Na Honge”. He wrapped up the soiree with a Bhairavi Bhajan “Main Duar Khul Kar Byatha Hoon”, composed by Pt. Jnan Prakash Ghosh and recorded by Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty.

Instrumentalists Firoz Khan (sitar), Debashis Das Apurbo (tabla), Sunil Sarkar (keyboard), Bidyut Roy (octopad), Mithu Qurayeshi (guitar) and Pt. Biplab Bhattacharyya (tabla) accompanied the singer.