33rd Nat’l Rabindra Sangeet Utsab begins in capital

Entertainment Report :
The 33rd National ‘Rabindra Sangeet Utsab,’ organised by the Bangladesh Rabindra Sangeet Shilpi Sangstha (BRSSS), began on Friday at the auditorium
of International Mother Language Institute in the
capital’s Segun Bagicha area.
The festival was inaugurated by K M Khalid, State Minister for Cultural Affairs, as the chief guest. Two eminent artistes and ‘Kontho Joddha’ of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra during the 1971- elocutionist Ashraful Alam and singer Rafiqul Alam, were honoured for their contributions to the respective fields. The artistes were handed over crest and honorarium cheque by K M Khalid MP. The event took place physically after three years as the COVID-19 pandemic struck and it was not possible to organise the festival for the last two years. However, the 32nd edition was held virtually in 2020. This year’s festival was dedicated to all artistes, writers, journalists, poets and cultural personalities, who left for the good during the pandemic. The BRSSS’s General Secretary, Pijush Barua, gave the welcome speech at the ceremony. Sangeet Bhaban, Uttarayan, Surtirtho, Bulbul Lalita Kala Academy (BAFA) and Bishwobani were the groups which participated in the renditions of Rabindranath Tagore in the
first round of the event.
Asharaful Alam recited a few lines of ‘Anondoloke Mongolaloke Biraj Sottyosundoro,’ while Rafiqul Alam performed the renditions-‘Uttor Bay Janay Sashon, Patlo Toper Shushko Ashon’ and
‘Oi Janalar Kachhe Boshe Achhe/Kortole Rakhi Matha’
on the occasion. The two-day festival will conclude on Saturday featuring cultural programmes and recitations.