Indian classical music maestros to perform in Dhaka
The biggest names in Indian classical music and dance are coming to Dhaka. They will perform at the four-day long “Bengal ITC-SRA Classical Music Festival” that will begin on November 29. The festival, to be held at Army Stadium in Dhaka, will continue till December 2. In a bid to popularise classical music, Bengal Foundation has joined hands with ITC-SRA in organising the festival. Prothom Alo is the strategic partner and The Daily Star is assisting in the festival.
Both classical vocal and instrumental music along with classical dance will be performed at the festival. Eminent artistes from Kolkata ITC Sangeet Research Academy (SRA), including Padma Bhushan Vidushi Girija Devi, Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Ustad Rashid Khan, Padma Shri Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan, Pandit Rajan Mishra, Pandit Sajan Mishra, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan, Ustad Ali Ahmed Hussain Khan, Pandit Kumar Bose, Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Sujata Mohapatra, Alarmel Valli, Buddhadev Das Gupta, Purbayan Chatterjee, Kaushiki Desikan and others will perform at the festival.
Alongside performances by the ITC-SRA maestros, renowned Bangladeshi classical artistes will also perform at the festival.
A press conference will be held in this regard on October 7 at Bengal Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, in the capital. Abul Khair, chairman of Bengal Foundation; director general of Bengal Foundation, Luva Nahid Chowdhury; Ravi Mathur, executive director of ITC-SRA, Kolkata; and several eminent classical artistes, including Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan and Padma Shri Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar will be present at the press conference.
“Bengal Foundation and ITC-SRA have jointly taken the initiative of highlighting accomplished artistes of this region, offering refined entertainment to the music connoisseurs and enthusiasts of Bangladesh. The names of many pioneering classical music maestros are attached to Bangladesh. The heritage of Bangladeshi music is very opulent, though that is unknown to some. Moreover, the practice of classical music is on the wane in Bangladesh. Such a festival can play a key role in generating interest among all. Considering these, we have decided to hold a grand festival every year,” said Luva Nahid Chowdhury.
Luva Nahid Chowdhury added that another four-day long Bengali Music Festival will begin on December 21, 2012 at ITC-SRA, Kolkata. About 50 Bangladeshi artistes will take part in the festival.
Comments