Italy beckons Bangladeshis
Ten years' back my two daughters and I took a vacation to Venice, Italy. I was the only earning member, both girls were students.
Music for therapy
Samia Mahbub Ahmad, a beautiful lady sang with us on the same stage in the Nazrul Mela held in Washington DC in September 2018. I had listened to her twice before, once in the Omni auditorium and another time in the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC), on both counts in Dhaka.
Dreams do come true!
For some, dreams come true whilst for some, they don't. Take for example, my own self. As a child, I watched a procession of cinema actresses entering our house and leaving them.
Nazrul Teertho in Kolkata
After returning from World War II the famous poet Kazi Nazrul Islam resided in Kolkata and neighboring areas till 1972. It was his seat of work, his city of fame. In 2014, the West Bengal Government built an archive in the name of Nazrul Islam. The Urdu phrase that comes to my mind when I see this memorial structure titled `Nazrul Teertho' is: Der se, durast se.
Darkness Persists
An artist, when he teaches, becomes the leader of the youth who are learning not only music; but also a code of conduct which they can adhere to throughout their lives, and draw strength from the words and tunes of the poets. Simply uttering the words, without the deeper meaning influencing the soul is like parrot chatter.
Story of a Bangladeshi opera singer
Before writing about Shabana Tajwar, I had not known about any Bangladeshi opera singer, in fact I didn't know any opera singer at all. Up, close and personal, I have known some Western singers, but they are not opera singers. However, I have heard about opera training, that it is very extensive like Eastern classical music and to be an opera singer of repute you have to train for many years.
Twenty years of Bongo Mela, USA
Twenty years is indeed a long time to continue an organization and take all the leading roles, specially in North America where life is a rat race. Even in that race, someone wins, someone stays in the fast lane to take the right exit and reach the destination in mind.
Afia Dil of San Diego
Association with Professor Afia Dil dates back to August of 1947, when Abbasuddin Ahmed had migrated to erstwhile East Pakistan. He had rented the home of Afia's mom, Safura Begum, a pioneer of women's education herself.
Nazrul Teertho in Kolkata
After returning from World War II the famous poet Kazi Nazrul Islam resided in Kolkata and neighboring areas till 1972. It was his seat of work, his city of fame. In 2014, the West Bengal Government built an archive in the name of Nazrul Islam. The Urdu phrase that comes to my mind when I see this memorial structure titled `Nazrul Teertho' is: Der se, durast se.
Darkness Persists
An artist, when he teaches, becomes the leader of the youth who are learning not only music; but also a code of conduct which they can adhere to throughout their lives, and draw strength from the words and tunes of the poets. Simply uttering the words, without the deeper meaning influencing the soul is like parrot chatter.
Story of a Bangladeshi opera singer
Before writing about Shabana Tajwar, I had not known about any Bangladeshi opera singer, in fact I didn't know any opera singer at all. Up, close and personal, I have known some Western singers, but they are not opera singers. However, I have heard about opera training, that it is very extensive like Eastern classical music and to be an opera singer of repute you have to train for many years.
Kazi Nazrul Islam - Harbinger of inter-community harmony
In his memoirs Abbasuddin Ahmed has touched upon the efforts of the administration in Cooch Bihar, India in raising a nation with inter-community harmony. He wrote that in his college he had to choose a room-mate either Hindu, if he was a Muslim and vice versa. Inter-community stresses are evident in all parts of the world. Seldom do we find agents who dedicate their own lives to exemplify the glory of fusion.
Hope is always the impetus to march forward
I was quite surprised to read a newspaper advertisement in The Daily Star newspaper. It was asking for names of employers who hired domestic help and had kept them for more than ten years, looking after them like a family member, giving them treatment, medicine, holidays and helping them in difficult times and assisting in teaching them or their family members.
Pohela Baisakh in local schools
The Pohela Baisakh (beginning of the Bangla New Year) is being observed in all schools. It takes me back to my own school life in Holy Cross School Dhaka, where we had observed such festivities and it formed the basis of memorizing long poems by Tagore and Nazrul, discovering them through their songs and learning to wear the white saris with red borders. Over the years, the festivities started increasing and the wearing of bangles, application of
Sweet as honey from the comb!
Sohrab Hossain has been a household name synonymous with songs of Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh. 9th April is his birthday. I had the good fortune of knowing him from my childhood.
Messages Through The Media
I have always been a fan of TV drama, especially serials. As a young girl, I used to escape to my grandmother's room at night when my parents had gone to bed. My aunt had bought a TV for my Dadi, who would sit up late and watch TV. So, I would creep in to her room, always afraid that my father would find out anda ear wringing would follow.