Musical Homage to Waheedul Haque

Manoj Bahadur (3-R) and his troupe during a Jhum dance presentation.Photo: Mumit M.

As a tribute to eminent cultural activist and Tagore exponent Waheedul Haque, a driving force behind the nationalist cultural movement for decades, Chhayanaut held a two-day programme titled “Desh Ghar-er Gaan 1418”. Seasoned folk singer Kuti Mansur inaugurated the programme on March 15.
Apart from speech by the inaugurator, general secretary of Chhayanaut Khairul Anam Shakil delivered the welcome address. President of Chhayanaut, Sanjida Khatun, was also present on the occasion.
Featuring the opulent heritage of Bangladeshi folk music and dance, the programme was held at Bakultala, Faculty of Fine Arts of University of Dhaka. Renowned artistes and troupes from across the country performed on the occasion.
The two-day programme included Lalon songs, Pala Gaan, Kushan Gaan, Jhum, bottle and plate dance, Santali dance and more by Pandit Ramkanai Das, Sudhir Lal Das, Shamim Ahmad and Sajia Binte Rahik.
Sajia Binte Rahik kicked off the inaugural day's event through rendering songs originally composed by Baul Shah Abdul Karim, Hason Raja and Syed Shahnoor. Her repertoire included “Ami Kul Hara Kalangkini”, “Sona Bondey Amarey Diwana Banailo” and more, while Shamim Ahmad performed “Tor Soney Korey Piriti”, “Amare Chhariya Kala” and “Agey Ki Sundar Din Kataitam” originally composed by Arkum Shah, Durbin Shah and Shah Abdul Karim.
Swarup Hossain on tabla, Dasharath Das on dhol, Babu on banshi and Ratan Kumar Roy on dotara instrumentally assisted the performers.
Manoj Bahadur and his troupe from Rangamati presented several indigenous dance forms including Jhum dance of the Chakmas, plate dance of the Marmas and bottle dance of the Tripura community. Sushmita, Annie, Shelley, Rimi, Rini, Ria and Anupam took part in the dance presentations. Manoj Bahadur, Kirio Marma and Lovely Assam directed the traditional music, while Titu Devnath and Shimul Das instrumentally assisted the dance performances.
Based on a “Ramayan” story (Sita's banishment), Kripasindhu Roy and his troupe from Kurigram performed Kushan Gaan that wrapped up the inaugural day's performances. Kripasindhu Roy directed music for the presentation. Aynal Haque, Mithu, Sujan, Nazmul, Jagodish, Kartik Chandra, Kakoli, Trisha and others took part in the presentation.
Waheedul Haque believed that it would not be possible to form a complete impression of our culture, without becoming familiar with our folk music -- rooted in our tradition. Upholding this ideal, Chhayanaut has been arranging this programme for the last six years, highlighting various forms of folk songs practiced in different parts of the country.