Uniting the Bengals through dance

Projonmo (a place for performance), will present their second and third productions on August 25, at Satyajit Ray Auditorium, ICCR, Kolkata, with Khudra Nrigostir Sangskritic Institute, Khagrachhari. For this, they have extended their gratitude to Lubna Marium, Artistic Director of SHADHONA, Bangladesh, and Jiten Chakma, Deputy Director of Khudra Nrigostir Sangskritic Institute, Khagrachhari. The first dance recital, "Jhalak", will be presented by Bangladeshi students in Kolkata, under the direction of Md Hanif.

Md Hanif, a regular company member of SHADHONA from Bangladesh, has worked in various genres of dance like Kathak, Jazz, and Mayurbhanj Chhau. He was awarded an ICCR scholarship in 2016 for his B A in Kathak. He also got a scholarship for his M A in Kathak at Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. Currently, he is completing his last year of an MFA programme, and being trained in Kathak by Rajib Ghosh. Md Hanif has worked in German choreographer Helena Waldmann's "Made in Bangladesh "which was presented very successfully in Europe, India, and Bangladesh. Furthermore, he has attended renowned choreographer Akram Khan's prestigious summer intensive programme in 2019 in Italy, and successfully performed for Akram Khan's company in "Father-vision of the floating world "in 2020, in Bangladesh.

 Mst Ana Akther, a student at Rabindra Bharati University, is pursuing her B A under an ICCR scholarship. This is her first solo performance on Bharatnatyam in Kolkata. She got the opportunity to learn Bharatnatyam from Smt Sujatha Ramalingam.

Tajim Chakma is an Odissi dancer from Rangamati. She was awarded an ICCR scholarship in 2016 for studying B A in Dance at Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. Currently, she is finishing up her last year of an MFA programme in Odissi from the same university. She has been learning Odissi under the guidance of Guru Smt Sharmila Biswas.

Aparna Nishi, a classical Manipuri dancer, is an active member of SHADHONA from Bangladesh. She has been learning dance since she was 10. She received an ICCR scholarship for her B A in 2017. Currently, Aparna Nishi is pursuing her M A in Classical Manipuri Dance at Rabindra Bharati University, and also taking advance training in Manipuri Dance from Guru Kalavati Devi and Smt Bimbavati Devi. She is also a former student of Manipuri Nartanalaya, Kolkata.

The second performance will be inspired by SHADHONA's "Fireflies", based on Rabindranath Tagore's well-known book of haikus. Bangladeshi and Indian students of Rabindra Bharati University will be performing, under the music of Nirjher Chowdhury, and direction of Md Hanif. The performers include Puja Chatterjee, Tajim Chakma, Angshula Roy, Mousumi Biswas, Mst Ana Akther, Aparna Nishi and Md Hanif.

This production premiered in Bangladesh in 2012.