The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The 19th National Rabindra Sangeet Festival organised by the Bangladesh Rabindra Sangeet Shilpi Sangstha, will conclude today at the Sawkat Osman Memorial Hall of the Central Public Library in the city. It began on Wednesday.

Artiste Kalim Sharafi, President of the organisation, inaugurated the festival with the slogan 'Shuvo Karma Pathe Dhara Nirbhoy Gaan.'

The festival was dedicated to the late veteran artistes Jahanara Nishi and Abinash Chandra Shil, Selim Al Deen and Mahbub-ul-Alam.

The four-day programme features music, recitation and seminar. Cultural activists and Tagore song researcher Prof ABM Nurul Anwar of Mymensingh was present as chief guest in the inaugural session.

Some two hundred artistes from across the country are participating at the festival, said the organisers.

Noted singers including Anup Bhattachariya, Iffat Ara Dewan, Mita Haque, ATM Jahangir, Saiful Islam Khan, Azizur Rahman Tuhin, Anup Kumar Pal, Sharmin Rahman Chaity, among others, took part in the inauguration.

One minute silence was observed in honour of noted publisher Chittaranjan Saha, regional folk singer Shefali Ghosh, film star Aslam Talukder Manna and eminent journalist Bazlur Rahman.

On the second day, the organisers accorded a reception to Nikhil Sen, distinguish cultural personality of Barisal. After that, recitation and Tagore songs were rendered.

On the concluding day of the festival, today, the organisers will hold an open discussion on the use of modern instrument in Tagore's song, beginning at 5:00pm.