Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) hosted the launch of the book titled ‘Folk Melody of Bangladesh’ on Friday, an anthology of Bangladeshi folk music presented in standard notation, compiled and edited by Iftekhar Anwar.

The launch was followed by a live musical performance by the Flaming Acoustics Orchestra, including Anwar, the writer of the book.

This launching ceremony, joined by eminent folk singer Farida Parveen, Liberation War Museum’s founder Trustee Mofidul Hoque, and AFD Director François Grosjean, among others, was an addition to the 65th-anniversary festivities of Alliance Française de Dhaka.

A comprehensive collection of Bangladesh’s rich folk musical heritage, Iftekhar Anwar has preserved and standardised these timeless traditional melodies, which are woven into the very culture of Bangladesh, in an anthology that will ensure that the cultural treasures of the nation reach a wider audience through study and performances, garnering an appreciation for the art through increased accessibility on a global scale.

This book, according to the writer himself, stands to foster a deeper understanding of our cultural heritage through the universal language of music, bridging cultural divides.

Iftekhar Anwar, Founder and Director of the Classical Music Academy (CMA) in Dhaka, earned his diploma in music from the Razi Conservatory in Athens, Greece, and continued his higher education at Arizona State University, USA. In addition to the CMA, Anwar also conducts the guitar courses at Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD), which has contributed to the popularisation of classical guitar in many.

This book is a labour of his love for music, and he conveyed a special note of gratitude to Shah Cement Bangladesh, for their invaluable support in helping to achieve this ambitious goal.

A talented group of individual musicians, many of whom have blossomed under the tutelage of Anwar himself, features: Iftekhar Anwar on Cello, Md Ali Akkas on Flute, Md Erfanul Haque on Classical Guitar, Nahian Kabyo on Violin, Prithila Mary Pereira on Percussion, Sattyajit Sarkar on Violin, and Simon Kierspel on Viola.