The New Nation - Internet Edition

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

“Shadhona - a centre working for the advancement of South Asian dance and music is a trust that was initiated, initially with the aim of revitalising and expanding the horizons of classical dance and music in Ban-gladesh. We have, through the years, expanded our horizon to include all performing arts in Southasia - folk and classical. The Centre has been working tirelessly for the last two decades to promote the rich cultural heritage of South Asia among young Bangladeshis through various events, workshops and training programs. 'Shadhona' also believes in building regional bonds through music and dance," said country's eminent dance artiste and General Secretary of Shadhona Lubna Marium.

The dance troupe Shadhona presented a dance drama 'Hey Ananta Punya' at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the city recently. The production of 'Hey Ananta Punya' finds its inspiration from Rabindranath Tagore's drama 'Notir Puja' which is an adaptation of his poem 'Pujarini' where he has beautifully narrated the story of Sreemati, a dancer in the court of King Ajatashatru. The King had ascetically and ruthlessly established Hinduism as the state religion and kept no stone unturned to wipe off each and every trace of the ideology of Buddha, which his father, Bimbisar had pursued and perpetuated. Noti who was a seeker of peace and beauty sacrifices her life at the altar of Buddha - the epitome of love, peace and tolerance.

Buddhism meant much to Tagore at almost every stage of his life. He states that, the compassion, mercy and universal love preached by Buddha have helped to remove barriers men have put up between each other. 'Hey Ananta Punya,' the ballet upholds the belief of Tagore that God can be found through personal purity. The choreographer tries to give a contemporary understanding of Tagore's work and in her choreography gives an interpretation of the eight fold paths preached by Buddha to attain 'nirvana' or salvation. Through the dance she tries to give a picture of the existing societal condition during those turbulent times and concurrently give a brief glimpse of Buddhist philosophy.

The background musical score of the production, besides the songs of Tagore use Hindu and Buddhist chants. The dance styles use the Manipuri form or dance and a modern creative form based on the various classical, folk and martial dance forms of eastern India and the folk dance forms of Bengal.

The dance drama was directed by Warda Rihab. She also performed the role of the female head, 'Nati' while Lubna Marium carried out the role of 'Rani.' Also, Samina Hossain Prema played as 'Utpalparna' and Tahmina Anwar as 'Ratnavali.'

While addressing about Shadhona Lubna Marium said, "Shadhona remembers with respect the late Sarengi Maestro Ustad Sagiruddin Khan and feels extremely fortunate to have been able to invite him, from India, as a vocal classical music trainer, for the last eight years of his life, through its 'Guru Shisho Poromporay Proshikhon Por-kolpona'. The emphasis in this training programme is the 'one to one basis of training', unique to our sub-continent, primarily due to the lack of written musical notations."

The long-term objectives of the centre include workshops and lecture-demonstrations on dance, music and theatre with the aim of increasing an awareness and appreciation of our cultural heritage. In this era of highly concentrated audio-visual exposure from various sources, it is easy to comprehend the decline of the classical and folk forms of performances due to a lack of proper awareness and training. 'Shadhona' appeals to all music lovers to lend a helping hand in restoring the glory of performing arts in Bangladesh. A recent addition to Sadhona's list of objectives is the promotion of Indian Philosophy, Aesthetics in particular, contextual to the present social reality in South Asia.

The organisation has also been arranging classical music concerts for several years, both for increasing an awareness of the music and for fund-raising, said Lubna Marium.