Rajpunnah fest in Bandarban tomorrow

Rajpunnah, the traditional festival of tribal Bomang community to pay annual land tax to the king, will be celebrated in Bandarban tomorrow.
The much-awaited festival, introduced in 1875, is organised mainly for land tax collection from the inhabitants after harvesting ‘jhum’ crops.
To mark the occasion, a three-day folk fair will be held. The 15th chief (Raja) of Bomang circle Aoung Sue Prue Choudhury will formally collect tax from the inhabitants in a traditional way.
The king will arrive at the Raj Durbar with the Royal guests amidst sound of bugle. His courtiers and other token soldiers, all attired in traditional dresses, will formally receive the king.

Source: Newage

Month long folk festival begins in Sonargaon

 

Bangladesh Folk Art and Craft Foundation has arranged a folk-art and craft festival at its premises in Sonargaon, Narayanganj. The festival started yesterday and will continue till February 19. Everyday 4pm-9pm there will be cultural program of deshi bauls, dramma, folk Jari-shari song, 292 stalls have been installed at the premise. And, more people from various location will bring the heritage products which is almost forgotten in new age.

 

Source: The Bhorer Kagoj

Five-day theatre festival begins at Dhaka

The five-day Theatre Natak Sarani Drama Festival began on Friday in the Mahila Samiti auditorium in the capital. The festival has been dedicated to late journalist Obaid Ul Huq, poet Mahbub Ul alam Chowdhury, artist Nitun Kundu, cultural movement leader and journalist Waheedul Haque and playwright Selm Al-Deen. The festival, organised by the Theatre Natok Sarani, featured celebration of the 74th birthday of its president and also an eminent playwright Momtaz Uddin Ahmad on its opening day. Acting chairman of the Group Theatre Federation, Liakat Ali Lucky spoke at the function as guest. Theatre’s general secretary Rezaul Ekram Raju and festival convener Ashok Roy Nandi also spoke on the occasion. Playwright Mamunur Rashid, Parajanma Ekattur leader shahin Reza Noor, Natychakra’s Golam Sarwar, Theatre Art Unit’s Rokeya Rafiq Baby and members of other cultural organisations greeted veteran playwright Momtaz at the function.

Theatre’s play production Satghater Kanakori, written and directed by Momtaz Uddin Ahmad, was staged in the evening. Natbhumi Theatre from Agartala in India will stage its play Choruibhati at 7.00pm today. A number of theatre groups from India and Bangladesh are participating in the festival.

Source: Newage

Nrityanchal Dance Festival begins Jan 25 at Dhaka, Bangladesh

A four-day dance festival, organised by the dance group Nrityanchal will begin from January 25 at the National Theatre Hall of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy at Segun Bagicha in the city.

   The organisers, at a press conference on Wednesday, said that the programmes would start everyday at 6:30pm. Mohammad Jahangir, Shibli Mohammad and Shamim Ara Nipa of Nrityanchal were present at the briefing.

   They said that they would arrange a reception for veteran dance gurus Kartik Singh of Sylhet and Kunjalal Sarkar of Rangpur on the inaugural day of the festival.

   A multimedia dance musical titled ‘Tin Kanyar Dan’, directed by Shamim Ara Nipa, will be staged on the day. The dance performance will present three mythical and legendary women ‘Dhroupadi’, ‘Behula’ and ‘Sakhina’.

   ‘Bhanusingher Padabali’, directed Samina Hussain Prema and produced by the dance group Bhabna will be staged on the second day of the festival.

   On the third day, Sukalyan and Entourage of Kilkata will present the dance drama ‘Parijayi’ and other contemporary dance numbers, which will be directed by Sukalyan Bhattacharya. The organisers will also arrange a soiree of the classical instrument Esraj, to be played by AFM Ekram Hossain.

   On the concluding day, January 28, Nrityanchal will present the folk dance drama ‘Mahuya’, choreographed by Shamim Ara Nipa. Shibli Mohammad and Nipa will perform in the dance drama.

   According to the organisers, around 200 students of the Nrityanchal will take part in the performances in the festival.

   Tickets will be available at Sagar Publishers on Bailey Road, Pathak Samabesh at the Aziz Super Market in Shahbagh, Nrityanchal School in Manik Mia Avenue and VIP Studio at Gulshan-2.

Source: New Age

National Poetry Festival of Bangladesh begins February 1

The two-day 22nd National Poetry Festival will begin on the Dhaka University campus on February 1 with a slogan ‘the message of poetry, the victory of democracy’.

Some 400 poets at home and abroad are expected to participate in the festival to be organised by the National Poetry Council, the organisers said.

While announcing the programmes at a press conference at the Dhaka University Teachers-Students Centre on Tuesday, the organisers called for restoration of democratic governance in the country.

The council will introduce the National Poetry Council Shamsur Rahman Award in honour of its founder president alongside the National Poetry Award 2007 during the festival, the organisers said.

‘A young poet will be awarded this newly introduced prize every year. The prize money of the award will be Tk 10,000’, said the council president Habibullah Sirajee. He announced the names for 22 subcommittees.

Festival convener Asad Chowdhury said, ‘We are observing that our progress towards democracy is being hampered in the country. Our concern in this regard is symbolised in our poetry.’

Poet Syed Shamsul Haq will inaugurate the festival on the premises of the DU central library. Eminent poets will recite their poems at different sessions during the festival which will also feature seminars and musical soirees.

Recitation of poetry will be followed by musical performances in the evening during the festival. The festival will also gather Bangladesh’s poets belonging to ethnic minorities and writing in English.

An exhibition of posters and other documents on previous years’ poetry festivals will take place on the island of the Teachers-Students Centre.

A good number of Bengali poets from different provinces of India have been invited to take part in the event. Shankha Ghosh, Sunil Gangopadhya, Samarendra Sengupt and Tarun Sanyal are among them.

Council general secretary Golam Kibria Pinu and poets Muhammad Samad, Kazi Rosy, Mohan Raihan, Aslam Sani, Rabindra Gop, Mustafa Mazid, Zulfiqar Hossain Tara, Tariq Sujat, Nishat Khan and Ayat Ali Patwari also attended the press conference.

The National Poetry Council has been organising the poetry festival every year since 1987.

Source: New Age