Celebrating Life: 3 cultural icons honoured

Talent, in whatever field it may be, is of no use without a platform. And in one of the most densely-populated countries in the world, it is probably of even more significance, especially of creative talent. There are many platforms for creative talents in the country, at various capacities, but not too many that spread across the country and have been going on consistently for nine years, and that is where The Daily Star-Standard Chartered Celebrating Life stands head and shoulders above as a platform for creative talents to express themselves and flourish. 

At the International Convention City, Bashundhara in the capital last night, a vibrant gala celebrated “Youth in Change”, as the who's who of Bangladesh's cultural fraternity came together.

The event began with a sombre, fitting dedication to Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain, the Holy Artisan martyr who celebrated life in the face of imminent death, and has become a symbolic figure of the Bangaldeshi youth's bravery and selflessness.

Prominent singers Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya, Ferdous Ara and Sadya Afreen Mallick then led chorus of three songs – Anondoloke, Nirmol Koro and Joy Hok, accompanied by dance performances led by Samina Husain Prema, Abu Nayeem and Rachel Perris.

Three eminent personalities of the cultural fraternity -- composer Alam Khan, thespian Ferdausi Majumdar and veteran cinematographer Reza Latif were honoured with lifetime achievement awards at the   ceremony.

Along with the chief guest Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, Standard Chartered Bangladesh CEO Abrar A Anwar and The Daily Star's Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam, iconic figures of Bangladesh's cultural arena came to confer the honours.

Ferdousi Rahman, Runa Laila, Babita, Aly Zaker and Sara Zaker graced the stage to hand over the awards, and share personal memories with the awardees.

Asaduzzaman Noor, in a candid speech, said the government alone cannot take the responsibilities of making the country great; the responsibility to bring up a better generation of tomorrow also rests on families and educational institutions, where children spend maximum time.

“We cannot solely blame today's youth for the rise of militancy.

“Somewhere, someone is nurturing an environment where it can grow, and we have to find that,” said the minister.

He ended his speech on an emotional note, reciting a poem about the Holey Artisan attack.

CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Abrar A Anwar said a nation's development is not complete with just economic advancement.

“Cultural development is an integral part of a country's development. We want to contribute to that, and this initiative is just an effort from us in that direction.”

Mahfuz Anam in his address said, “Patriotism can be expressed in many ways, but to do it through arts is special.”

He stressed the importance of investments in patronising arts.

“Our struggle now is to build this nation.

“No matter how much personal success we achieve, if we don't have successes as a nation, it will not bring us prestige.”

The winners of the film, photography and lyrics contests were handed their awards amid rounds of applause.

The concert that followed next got the audience singing and grooving, with Tahsan opening the show with his hits “Prematal”, “Chhuye Dile Mon”, “Irsha” and “Alo”. Arnob, Joler Gaan and Chirkutt were yet to perform as the report was filed.

It would surely be a celebration to remember.

Bangladesh's young demographic is energetic and always looking for new things to do and sometimes that makes it easy for them to lose their way.

It is the society's responsibility to keep them interested in things that will make them better human being, rather than in activities that could cause harm. It sounds little odd that a newspaper and a bank are putting efforts for the country's cultural development, but somehow The Daily Star and Standard Chartered Bank have not just made sense out of it, but are taking it to new heights every passing year.