United News of Bangladesh

The first show of the theatrical production ‘Kathputli —Dances and Puppets of Rajasthan’ was held on Friday at National Music and Dance Auditorium, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka. The second show will be held at the same place Saturday at 6 pm. The event is jointly organised by Alliance Française de Dhaka and Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre. Produced by Théâtre en Tête and directed by Zazie Hayoun, the performers at this production are Sikandar Khan, Ishwar Mathur, Sushila, Vijay Bhatt, and Puran Bhat. Read: On big screen, moviegoers find new way to appreciate Bangabandhu in Shyam Benegal's biopic 'Kathputli, Dances and Puppets of Rajasthan' combines these two art forms: dance and puppetry. Through the performance, the dancer, at the front of the stage, is the link to the audience. In the first part, the story takes place in a small village in the north of India, at daybreak; many scenes of daily life are presented through picturesque characters: the betel merchant, the barber, the shoemaker, the ironer, the water carrier and the lovers. The second part is a change of scenery, which comes directly from the Kathputli tradition: it is set in the palace of the emperor Akbar, who also used puppets for his own pleasure. All the maharajas are invited to a performance during which several attractions are offered: a snake charmer, dancers who perform an elaborate choreography, a magician who juggles with his head, an elephant tamer and many other distractions that will brighten up the party of the greatest monarch of India. Read: Bongo BD to release South Indian comedy movie 'F2: Fun and Frustration' with Bengali version this week This show is the result of a meeting between a French director and Indian artists. It is a simple yet sophisticated entertainment, where dances and puppets create a poetic and colourful universe, which will enchant young and old alike. Liaquat Ali Lucky, director general of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Bakhshi Mohd. Tayab, commercial manager, Qatar Airways Bangladesh, Pranay Kumar Verma, Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh and Marie MASDUPUY, France ambassador to Bangladesh, attended the event, sponsored by Qatar Airways, as the special guests on Friday. Read more: First-ever Bangla-dubbed Thai movie ‘Bad Genius’ to be released on Bongo tomorrow  

The Federation of Film Societies of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy are set to organise a commemoration event on Friday, in memory of the recently deceased eminent filmmaker, film educator and one of the pioneers of the Bangladesh Film Parliament movement Syed Salahuddin Zaki and Bangladesh's prominent film critic, writer, film parliament activist and organiser Mahbub Alam. This event will be held on Friday at 5 PM at the National Art Gallery Auditorium of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA). Read: I have done my best to portray Bangabandhu on silver screen: Arifin Shuvoo ‘Ghuddi’, the popular and classic Bangladeshi golden-age cinema starring Suborna Mustafa and Raisul Islam Asad and directed by Syed Salahuddin Zaki, will be screened after the memorial discussion. Legendary Bangladeshi filmmaker Syed Salahuddin Zaki passed away on September 18. He was an eminent literary worker of the sixties. ‘Kaak’, edited by him, was a popular little magazine of that era. Zaki played the role of one of the pioneers in the country's film parliament movement after independence. He was one of the pioneers in the Bangladesh Film Parliament movement and was directly involved in the film parliament movement of the country for more than 50 years. He served several times as the president of the Federation of Film Societies of Bangladesh, a joint platform of film societies in the country. He has played an important role in the expansion of film education in the country. Read: Shakib Khan may pair up with Tollywood actress Mishti Chakraborty Just two days before the death of Syed Salahuddin Zaki, the country's leading film critic, writer, film parliamentarian and organiser Mahbub Alam passed away suddenly on the morning of September 16. A devoted film activist from the sixties till his death, the eminent film parliament activist Mahbub Alam made an important contribution to the film parliament movement of Bangladesh and the film criticism literature of the country. The Federation of Film Societies of Bangladesh president Architect Lailun Nahar Shemi, veteran actor Raisul Islam Asad, eminent filmmakers Mosihuddin Shaker and Morshedul Islam, film researcher Anupam Hayat, film critic and writer Kaizer Chowdhury will join the event, alongside friends, colleagues and family members of Syed Salahuddin Zaki and Mahbub Alam. Open to all, the event will be presided over by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky and hosted by the Federation of Film Societies of Bangladesh General Secretary Belayat Hossain Mamun.  

October 10 is the 29th death anniversary of world-renowned artist SM Sultan. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) has organised a two-day art exhibition, art camp, children's letter writing exhibition, palagan, puppet drama exhibition and discussion meeting from October 9-10. Also read: 26th death anniversary of SM Sultan today On the first day of the two-day event, a wreath was placed at the portrait of artist SM Sultan at the National Chitrashala Bhaban of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy at 4pm on Monday. After this, the exhibition was officially inaugurated with the artworks of artist SM Sultan and paintings of children of children's paradise. Liaquat Ali Lucky, director general of the academy inaugurated the programme as chief guest. Later, he visited the gallery with children. He highlighted the life of artist SM Sultan and various aspects of his paintings to the children. Also read: SM Sultan’s 97th birth anniversary today Forty paintings of world-renowned artists are being displayed at the National Art Gallery. Apart from this, paintings of various artists of the country have also been included in the exhibition. The exhibition will run from October 9 to 17. After the opening of the exhibition, a brief discussion session was held. Syeda Mahbuba Karim, director of the Fine Arts Department, delivered the welcome speech. "Artist SM Sultan did not paint on the canvas on which we usually paint. He painted a canvas with a special process with rural mats. He made his own colour – from the soil, the bark and leaves of the trees.” Also read: SM Sultan’s 95th birth anniversary today "Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy organizes various programs every year to keep him in heart. By organising this event, we remember him more and more,” she said. "We are always looking for our places of pride, those places have been created by great artists like artist SM Sultan. We have to nurture and practice those places of glory. No one else has seen the nature of rural Bengal, the rural society, the way he saw the farmers,” said the BSA DG. The academy's children's music team performed the group anthem at the beginning and end of the discussion. Later, the documentary “Adam Surat” on SM Sultan was screened.

The outgoing Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to Bangladesh Guner Ureya met the State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid at his Secretariat office on Sunday. The discussion focused on strengthening the cultural interchange between Bangladesh and Kosovo by accelerating the execution of the cultural cooperation agreement between the two nations. The State Minister said that the draft cultural cooperation agreement between Bangladesh and Kosovo was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 27, 2023, for the Kosovo government's opinion after receiving the Law Ministry's vetting. Subsequently, the Government of Kosovo sent the draft agreement incorporating their views through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which the Ministry of Cultural Affairs accepted on 20 September 20, 2023. Khalid said the draft proposed minor amendments to Article 12 of the Agreement by Kosovo. He added that measures will be taken to send the amendments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after receiving vetting from the Ministry of Law. He directed the relevant officials of the ministry to complete the process as soon as possible and take the necessary measures to sign the agreement. The outgoing Ambassador of Kosovo expressed sincere gratitude to the State Minister for Cultural Affairs for the essential cooperation during his responsibilities in Bangladesh, as well as for taking the necessary initiative to sign the agreement rapidly. He said that since there is no embassy of Bangladesh in Kosovo, diplomatic activities are going on through the embassy of Bangladesh in Berlin, Germany. He wished the state minister good health and all-round success. Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Subrata Bhowmik, Private Secretary to the State Minister Mohammad Altaf Hossain, Ayesha Siddika, Deputy Secretary Ayesha Siddika, Executive Assistant of the Kosovo Embassy in Dhaka Akhand Surid, and others were in present during the meeting.  

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Tareq Mohammad Ariful Islam has inaugurated the third Bangladesh Film Festival in Colombo. He highlighted the resurgence of Bangladeshi cine culture in recent times in the hand of a new generation of talented film directors who are bringing in many international accolades. Read: Rapper Aly Hasan collaborates with Toffee for World Cup song The envoy said such film festivals would foster cultural ties between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He expressed hope that due to socio-cultural affinities of two countries, Sri Lankan audience would be able to connect deeply with the essence of those movies. An impressive line up four more contemporary Bangladeshi movies will be screened during the weekend. Read: 'An Evening with Geet and Ghazal': AFD enamours Dhaka music-lovers Among them,  “Raat Jaga Phool” and “Nona Joker Kabbo” were scheduled to be screened on October 7 respectively at 3:30 pm and 6 pm at the same venue, while “Damal” (at 3:30pm) and “No Dorai” (6pm) will be screened on October 8.  This 3rd version of the festival builds upon the success of the 1st and 2nd editions held in April 2014 and March 2018. This is a part of Bangladesh High Commission's efforts to strengthen cultural relations through cinema. Inauguration of the 3rd Bangladesh Film Festival unfolded last evening at the prestigious Tharangani Theatre of Sri Lankan National Film Corporation with the screening of internationally acclaimed movie “Rehana Maryam Noor” directed by Abdullah Mohammad Saad. Bangladesh High Commission in Sri Lanka is organizing the Film Festival. A sizeable cinema crowd including renowned personalities of Sri Lankan cinema and cine connoisseurs braced the heavy rain in Colombo to experience the taste of Bangladeshi movie, said the Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo on Saturday.   Read: Curtain rises on European Film Festival 2023 Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Minister Vidura Wickramanayaka, Prof G L Peiris, Patali Champika Ranawaka and Heads of Diplomatic Missions were among the high dignitaries present. Renowned actress Swarna Mallawarachchi who is known as the Golden Star of Sri Lankan cinema, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Eminent film critic and director Anomaa Rajakaruna as the curator of the festival introduced the movie to the audience before the screening.

Aiming to add some extra flares in the ICC World Cup 2023 festivities, entertainment streaming site Toffee released a new rap music video on Thursday, in collaboration with popular rapper Aly Hasan. The song, titled "Toffee-te Cricket Bishwo Cup Dekhbe Bangladesh" (Bangladesh will enjoy Cricket World Cup in Toffee) is now available to stream on the social media platforms of Toffee. The music video of the song is directed by musician-creative director Arafat Mohsin Nidhi. This World Cup, Toffee is offering cricket lovers across the country the opportunity to enjoy all the World Cup matches. Muhammad Abul Khair Chowdhury, marketing deputy director, Toffee, Banglalink, said: "Toffee is known for its cutting-edge technology and seamless streaming capabilities. We are delighted to release the music video to showcase Toffee’s streaming superiority contextually and creatively. Moreover, we hope it will add to the craze of World Cup celebrations across the country." Toffee offers a wide range of content, most importantly its seamless streaming of live TV channels, national-international TV dramas and web series, user-generated content and more. The app is available on the Google Play Store for Android device users and on the App Store for iOS users.  

The 12th edition of the ‘Ganga-Jamuna Cultural Festival’ is all set to enthrall audiences from October 6 to October 17 at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) and Mahila Samiti in the capital. Known as one of the major cultural festivals in the country, the 2023 edition of this festival will showcase the performances of 145 troupes from both Bangladesh and India, representing a wide range of creative disciplines including theatre, dance, recitation, music, and more. This year, an estimated 4,000 performers are expected to attend, making it one of the largest cultural festivals in the subcontinent as well, the organisers of the festival told a press conference on Wednesday at BSA’s National Theatre Hall seminar room. The festival will be inaugurated by eminent thespian and cultural personality Ramendu Majumdar at the National Theatre Hall of BSA on October 6, Friday. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid will be present as the chief guest. Read: TikTok Shop Indonesia stops to comply with the country's ban of e-commerce on social media platforms The inauguration ceremony will be presided over by Sammilita Sangskritik Jote President Golam Kuddus. Former Cultural Affairs Minister and eminent actor Asaduzzaman Noor, prominent thespian Mamunur Rashid and BSA Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky will deliver speeches at the inauguration ceremony. On the opening day, the drama troupe Theatre will showcase its popular play ‘Meraj Fokirer Ma’ at the National Theatre Hall after the inauguration ceremony, while Batighor will stage ‘Bhogoban Paliye Gechhe’ at the Experimental Theatre Hall; and Ekota Nattyagoshthi, Kishoreganj will showcase its play ‘1971’ at the Studio Theatre Hall. Several renowned Indian theatre troupes, namely Onik, Ajker Projonmo, Gobordanga Noksha, Dolls Theatre and others will participate and showcase their theatrical and cultural performances in the festival. Live cultural performances will be showcased every day from 4 pm to 6:30 pm at BSA’s Mukta Mancha, while the theatre productions will be presented every day at 7 pm at the three aforementioned BSA venues and Bangladesh Mohila Samity’s Neelima Ibrahim Auditorium. Read: Sridevi’s accidental death: Husband Boney Kapoor says this was the cause The festival is launching online tickets for the first time and tickets for stage dramas will be available online at www.bdeticket.com. Additionally, tickets can be purchased at the hall counters from 4 pm onwards, the organizers said at the press conference. The festival will be concluded on October 17.

TikTok said it will halt its online retail operation in Indonesia on Wednesday to comply with the country’s decision to ban e-commerce transactions on social media platforms — a big blow to the video platform's fastest-growing market. The Indonesian government announced the new regulation, which prohibits social media companies from facilitating sales of products on their platforms, on Sept. 28 in a bid to protect small businesses from e-commerce competition, accusing the popular apps and websites of predatory pricing. Read: TikTok and 5 content creators ask federal judge to block Montana from banning app The Chinese-owned video sharing app said in a statement it will stop facilitating e-commerce sales in TikTok Shop Indonesia by 5 p.m. Wednesday. “Our priority is to remain compliant with local laws and regulations,” said the statement released Tuesday on its website. Indonesia’s Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the ban aims to “prevent the domination of the algorithm and prevent the use of personal data in business interests" and "create a fair, healthy and beneficial electronic commerce ecosystem,” according to a statement released by the Trade Ministry when the ban was announced. It said marketplaces and sellers can only offer or promote goods and services. Read: 2 friends ‘making TikTok videos’ dead after truck hits their bike in Lalmonirhat  A week before the ban was announced, Southeast Asia’s largest wholesale market, Tanah Abang, came under inspection. Sellers at the market in the capital, Jakarta, were experiencing a more than 50% loss of profits because they could not compete with imported products sold online at much lower prices, according to Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Teten Masduki. He said TikTok was involved in predatory pricing that caused damages to local small- and medium-sized businesses, and that the new regulation “will justly regulate fair trade online and offline.” Days after the ban was announced, TikTok Indonesia said it regretted the government’s decision — particularly the impact it would have on the millions of sellers who use TikTok Shop. But the company said it will respect the regulations and “will take a constructive path forward." Southeast Asia, a region home to more than 675 million people, is one of TikTok’s biggest markets in terms of user numbers, generating more than 325 million visitors to the app every month. Read: China appeals for fair treatment after latest TikTok bans TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, is also facing scrutiny from some governments and regulators because of concerns that Beijing could use the app to harvest user data or advance its interests. Countries including the United States, Britain and New Zealand have banned the app on government phones, despite TikTok repeatedly denying that it has ever shared data with the Chinese government and would not do so if asked.

The music industry and concert scene in Bangladesh are highly indebted to some of the legendary rock icons who performed their hearts out to enamour music lovers with their musical offerings. Among them, one special name is the National Award-winning rock icon Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, popularly known as "Nagar Baul James" and "Guru", who turned 59 on Monday. To date, music lovers get amped and geared up for any new concert spectacles in the country or anywhere in the world if the concert has James headlining with his electrifying performances. His name not only sells tickets but always ensures that the concertgoers are guaranteed to have marquee memories. After 'I Love You,' James' new song coming soon On the legendary rockstar’s 59th birthday, his friends in the industry and fans-admirers across the world showered him with tremendous respect and affection across the world and also on virtual platforms, sharing photographs and emotional posts on social media platforms regarding their celebrations and memories of attending his concerts. "Nagar Baul," drummer and friend Ahasan Elahi Fanty, shared a couple of photos with James celebrating his birthday, wishing him prosperity with prayers. Many other prominent music artists and bands, including Shunno and others, have also wished the rockstar on his birthday. Born in 1964 in Naogaon of Rajshahi, James was brought up in Chattogram due to his father Mojammel Haque's work who later became the Chairman of the Dhaka Education Board. His family did not approve of his wish to become a music artist; thus, he left home in 1976 and started living at Aziz Boarding in Pahartali. Without the approval of his family, James started his profound journey in music in his youth during the late 1970's. He formed his band "Feelings" in 1977 as the vocal and lead guitarist and released the band's first album, "Station Road," in 1987. The band was later renamed "Nagar Baul", a moniker that James has also adopted as the music artist. James, Miles withdraw cases against Banglalink Besides the other two companions, LRB and ARK, in the "Big Three of Bangladeshi Rock" in the 90's era in the Bangladeshi music industry, James garnered immense popularity among fans all over the world with his versatile style in psychedelic rock. He has also established his legacy as a solo artist and a successful playback singer in both Dhallywood and Bollywood. In 2006, he debuted in Bollywood as a playback singer in Anurag Basu's film "Gangstar", and his journey in Bollywood was continued with three other films: 'Woh Lamhe' (2006), '"Life... in a Metro" (2007), and "Warning" (2013). In his motherland, James received the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer twice for the films "Desha: The Leader" (2014) and "Swatta" (2017). As a solo artist, he has released a total of eight albums and many mixed albums with renowned artists from Bangladesh. "Taray Taray Rotiye Debo" (penned by legendary poet Shamsur Rahman), "Maa", "Bangladesh", "Pagla Hawaa", "Dushtu Chheler Dol", "Guru Ghor Banaila Ki Diya", and "Mirabai" are some of James's iconic Bengali rock numbers that cemented his legacy as 'Guru' to his fans all over the world. 12 years in the making: Rockstar James to launch new song on Eid-ul-Fitr eve Besides being the most iconic living legend in the country’s rock scene, James has also proved his versatility in other mediums as a photographer and media entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of the board of the renowned Bangladeshi production house, Red Dot Entertainment.

French cultural institution Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) organised an exclusive musical event titled “An Evening with Geet and Ghazal” on Saturday night at its “La Galerie”. Ghazal artists Manzurul Islam Khan and Somdutta Banerjee performed at the event. Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzak attended the event as the chief guest, while additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police AKM Hafiz Akhtar, and Chairman of Asian TV Limited and Director of FBCCI Alhaj Harun Ur Rashid were present as special guests. Manzurul Islam Khan, a vocalist of the country’s mainstream music and semi-classical music, after completing his music education from Chhayanaut, obtained a higher degree in music from Mumbai University, India. He took training at different levels from the music gurus of both countries. At present, Khan is working as a Coordinator at the classical music workshop of Alliance Française de Dhaka. Somdutta Banerjee is a unique and popular artist of West Bengal and Indian Raagasrayi music. She obtained her higher degree from Calcutta University with training under eminent teachers of India. The event was open to all.