Gems of Nazrul’s tribute to Bangabandhu on his birth centenary

Gems of Nazrul will release their 11th musical production, Aatta Aniruddho, on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birth centenary (March 17). Established as an initiative to promote the National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam's musical genius to audiences at home and abroad, Gems of Nazrul has been regularly marking important occasions in the Bangladesh calendar with their renditions of the poet's work. Performed by senior and upcoming artistes, the spirited performances of their most recent production will go on air on Channel i at the stroke of midnight on March 17, and will be available for public viewing on YouTube. It is supported by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, with Mutual Trust Bank as the main sponsor.

"One hundred artistes, including fifty singers and fifty dancers, will be featured in this video, which is our tribute to the Father of the Nation," says Nazrul exponent Sadya Afreen Mallick, Chief, Culture Initiatives, The Daily Star, who conceptualised and directed the production.  Eminent and emerging Nazrul singers, including Shaheen Samad, Dalia Nausheen, Sadya Afreen Mallick, Fatema Tuz Zohra, Khairul Anam Shakil, Sumon Chowdhury, Yasmin Mushtari, Joseph Rodriguez, Karim Hassan, Shelu Barua and many others have contributed to Atta Aniruddho.

The production includes a prayer song, titled Jago Amrito Priyoshi and an inspirational song, titled JoyHok, Shotter Joy. Noted composer Mohammed Ibrar Hossain Tipu is the music director of the project, while prominent dancer duo Shamim Ara Nipa and Shibli Muhammad are the choreographers. The production was shot at historic locations, like the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban and Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka.