Marking the 134th death anniversary of Bangladesh’s most revered philosophical figures and mystic poet Fakir Lalon Shah on October 17, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) is all set to host a three-day festival, starting from Thursday.
A press conference detailing the event was held on Wednesday at 3 pm in the National Theatre Hall seminar room at BSA, where the academy briefed journalists about the festival.
Director General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Dr Syed Jamil Ahmed, Secretary Salahuddin Ahmed, newly appointed directors and officers of various departments of the academy joined the press conference, where it was announced that the inauguration of the festival will be held tomorrow at 6 pm at the National Theater Hall Auditorium.
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Sharmin Murshid, Adviser to the Ministry of Social Welfare and Women and Child Affairs, will inaugurate the first day's program titled 'Ashasindhu Teerey', which will be chaired by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Director General Syed Jamil Ahmed. BSA Fine Arts Director Mustafa Zaman will deliver the welcome speech, while artists Arup Rahi and Zahura Fakirani will share songs and thoughts, influenced by Lalon's ideology.
The second day (Friday, October 18) will feature the Sadhumela "Manush Bhojle Shonar Manush Hobi" at the academy's Nandan Mancha at 6 pm. Dr Syed Jamil Ahmed will chair the event, while Mehjabeen Rahman, Director of BSA's Music, Dance, and Recitation Department, will deliver the welcoming remarks.
Saturday, October 19, will be the festival's third day, featuring a two-part event. The first session will begin at 4 pm in the National Theatre Hall's seminar room with a discussion titled "Jatisottar Prosno Ebong Baul-Fakir Poribeshonar Rajniti" (The Question of National Identity and the Politics of Baul-Fakir Performance), and the keynote presentation will be presented by Rajshahi University professor and researcher Dr A Al Mamun.
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The event will be presided over by Dr Syed Jamil Ahmed, and the welcoming address will be delivered by Abdul Halim Chanchal, Director of BSA's Production Department, while the discussion will be joined by notable speakers including Dr Mohammad Azam, Director General of Bangla Academy; journalist-writer and Director General of the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) Faruk Wasif, and Dr Shahman Moishan, dramatist and associate professor at Dhaka University.
The second part of the ceremony will start at 7 pm at the National Theatre Hall auditorium featuring a special Lalon memorial seminar titled ‘Dhoro Manush Rup Nehare’. Dr Asif Nazrul, Adviser to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, will deliver the keynote speech at the event, while BSA Production Department Director Abdul Halim Chanchal will deliver the welcoming address.
Dr Syed Jamil Ahmed will preside over the seminar, which will also be joined by journalist-fiction writer and newly appointed Managing Director and Chief Editor of the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Mahbub Morshed as a discussant. The event will also feature enthralling cultural performances by renowned artists.
Detailing the three-day event, BSA Director General Dr Jamil said that the cost of the three-day event will be displayed on the academy website. He requested the cooperation of journalists in promoting the festival.
Besides, the Director General highlighted the implementation of three goals in Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy - bringing back administrative transparency, financial transparency and efficiency.
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The three-day Lalon Festival will be open to general visitors at the venue based on immediate registration. Dr Jamil also hoped that through this festival, the cultural stagnation in the capital would be reduced and Lalon's non-communal philosophy would spread among all, including the young generation.