A montage of poems on Liberation War

Mahidul Islam reciting at the programmePhoto: STAR

To mark the occasion of our Independence Day, Sangbrita -- an organisation of recitors -- staged their production Jotirmoy Aguney Aloy at the Liberation War Museum on March 15. Directed by noted recitor Mahidul Islam, the production features a collection of poems on the Liberation War.
The poems included in the production highlight the indomitable Bengali spirit and sacrifices made during the war in 1971. Through Shamsur Rahman's familiar verse Swadhinata Tumi to Rudra Mohammad Shahidullah's stirring Batashey Lasher Gondho -- the entire production seemed to move the audience at times with a profound love for our motherland and at times with wrath against the war criminals.
The evening began with Mahidul Islam reciting the poem Swadhinata Tumi. Labonyo Shilpi rendered Abdul Gaffar Choudhury's Amar Dukhini Bornomala next. Shafiqul Islam rendered Shahidder Proti by Asad Choudhury; a poem that questions whether the contemporary Bangladesh represents the vision of the martyrs. Noor-e-Sonia Dipu's rendition of Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal's Chhobi -- a poem that depicts the post-war Bangladesh as a painting, having human sculls as its theme -- was greeted with rounds of applause. Masud Parvez recited Rudra Mohammad Shahidulla's Concentration Camp, featuring the brutalities at the Pakistani Military camps.
With some chorus renditions, the production also included poems by Nirmolendu Goon, Humayun Azad, Daud Haidar, Asim Saha, Fazal Shabuddin, Sohrab Hossain and more. Sangbrita members Sushmita Zafrin Tuli, Masud Parvez, Juthika Biswas, Kazi Rajesh, Jalal Uddin Hira, Taufiq Jahan Lopa and others recited the poems. Jotirmoy Aguney Aloy came to an end with Mahidul Islam's rendition of the poem Batashey Lasher Gondho.
“I tried to include poem that depict not only the spirit of our Liberation War, but also how the nation is slowly moving away from the values that inspired to fight for a free country. We believe, productions like this can contribute to generating a consciousness about that very spirit among the audience,” said Mahidul Islam.
The second half of the event featured performances by guest artistes invited by Sangbrita. Ashraful Alam, an artiste of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, read out the historical 'Declaration of Independence' which was aired on March 27, 1971.