Farooki welcomes move to honour Lalon, calls for wider cultural recognition

Filmmaker and Cultural Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki has praised the government's decision to elevate Lalon Shah's death anniversary to a "Category A" national day, calling it the first step towards dismantling a long history of intellectual colonisation.

In a detailed social media post, Farooki argued that before a nation is made into a "physical colony," it is often turned into an "intellectual colony" — taught to see its own culture as inferior. "Our colonial mindset could never recognise Lalon's songs as high art. Instead, it was labelled 'folk'—meaning subculture, not mainstream. The same happened to rock music, which was dismissed as 'counterculture' rather than celebrated," he wrote.

Farooki criticised how the state and establishment historically left Bangladesh's cultural wealth outside official recognition. "The responsibility of the post-'24 state is to celebrate those practices and expressions which, through the participation of our people, have already reached international standards," he added.

Alongside Lalon, the cabinet also discussed recognising the birth anniversary of artist SM Sultan as a national day, as well as celebrating the legacies of major cultural figures, including Humayun Ahmed and Bangladesh's rock icons.

Farooki emphasised that this move signals a shift beyond the traditional focus on Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam. "With Lalon, we have begun to look outside the Rabindra-Nazrul frame. This is only the beginning. I am certain the day is not far when contemporary masters like Ayub Bachchu will be celebrated officially."

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He concluded by questioning how long the state must wait before honouring such figures, "Is there a reason to wait centuries to celebrate a musician whose songs are heard in every corner of Bangladesh? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind."