United News of Bangladesh

Fifteen musicians have received the 2022 Aga Khan Music Awards at a ceremony held at Royal Opera House Muscat’s House of Musical Arts.  The award-giving ceremony marked the culmination of a two-day celebration in which laureates performed live or were presented in short films.  The 2022 Aga Khan Music Awards concluded on Sunday night with the presentation of awards to 15 laureates by Sayyid Bilarab bin Haitham Al Said and Prince Amyn Aga Khan during a gala concert.  A special Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to acclaimed tabla player Ustad Zakir Hussain during the Music Awards’ opening night concert on October 29. Read more: ​​​​​​​Ustad Zakir Hussain receives Aga Khan Music Award This evening’s programme featured performances by Peni Candra Rini, an Indonesian composer, improviser, vocalist and educator; Yasamin Shahhosseini, an Iranian oud player who is reimagining the place of the oud in Iranian music; the Tehran-based Golshan Ensemble, which performs Iranian classical music; and Soumik Datta, a sarod player from the United Kingdom who fuses his training in Hindustani classical music with pop, rock, electronica and film soundtracks to raise awareness about urgent social issues, including climate change, refugees and mental health. Laureates of the 2022 Music Awards were selected by a Master Jury from a field of close to 400 nominees from 42 countries.  They share $500,000 prize money and will have opportunities for professional development.  These opportunities include commissions for the creation of new works, contracts for recordings and artist management, support for pilot education initiatives, and technical or curatorial consultancies for music archiving, preservation, and dissemination projects. Read More: Bangladeshi Marina Tabassum in Aga Khan Award for Architecture’s Steering Committee

The 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh is deeply moving for the Kennedy family, Edward M Kennedy Jr, son of late US Senator Edward M Kennedy and nephew of late US President John F Kennedy, said Sunday. "My father was with the people of Bengal during the war. As a member of his family, I am very proud of Bangladesh's independence and progress," he said while visiting the Bengal Foundation in Dhaka's Dhanmondi. Read: Ted Kennedy Jr. meets PM Hasina along with his family Kennedy Jr and his wife Katherine "Kiki" Kennedy, daughter Kiley Kennedy, son Teddy Kennedy, niece Grace Kennedy Allen, and nephew Max Allen visited the Bengal Foundation as part of their weeklong visit to Bangladesh to celebrate the 50th anniversary of US-Bangladesh diplomatic ties organised by the US Embassy.

Acclaimed Indian tabla player Ustad Zakir Hussain has received prestigious Aga Khan Music Award in lifetime achievement category for his enduring contributions to the musical heritage of humanity at a ceremony at Muscat in Oman. Prince Amyn Aga Khan on Saturday night presented the special award to Zakir Hussain as he said the true impact of the Aga Khan Music Awards will be measured by the achievements of a laureate like Zakir Hussain. The award was given for his peerless musical mastery and sustained social impact as a performer and teacher, according to the award citation. The Prince said such a maestro endeavours to use his musical talent and knowledge to contribute to the well-being of the respective societies and of humanity at large.  "The gift of artistic talent bestows a responsibility on those who receive it to share their good fortune with others, to unite us despite our many apparent differences,” he said. Read more: 2 Bangladesh projects win 2022 Aga Khan Award for Architecture Prince Amyn underscored the important role of the Music Awards in supporting music educators.  “By educating young people in their own musical traditions while also providing them the tools to expand those traditions in new cosmopolitan directions, we are helping to prepare a new generation of cultural leaders that will build bridges and connections across cultures,” he said. Prince Amyn’s address was preceded by remarks from Dr Jamal al-Moosawi, Director of the National Museum – Sultanate of Oman.  Dr al-Moosawi noted that hosting the second edition of the Aga Khan Music Awards is very much in alignment with the Sultanate’s desire to build bridges of communication and cooperation between countries and cultures. The Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra was joined by the Aga Khan Master Musicians (AKMM), the resident ensemble of the Aga Khan Music Programme, in a rousing performance of “Tashkent,” composed by AKMM saxophonist Basel Rajoub and arranged for orchestra by Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky. Ustad Zakir Hussain, meanwhile, with his mesmerising performance enthralled the audience in the Royal Opera House Muscat’s House of Musical Arts on Saturday night. He performed as a soloist with the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Hamdan al Shaely in a performance of Peshkar, a concerto for tabla and orchestra composed by Zakir Hussain in 2015. In addition to Ustad Zakir Hussain, other laureates who performed live or were presented in short films include sarangi players Dilshad Khan and Asin Khan Langa, from India; Tanzanian praise singer Yahya Hussein Abdallah; Coumbane bint Ely Warakane, a hereditary griot from Mauritania; singer and guitar player Afel Bocoum, from Mali; devotional singer Sain Zahoor and “Queen of Pashtun Folk Music” Zarsanga, from Pakistan; and music researcher Musallam Al-Kathiri, from the Sultanate of Oman.  The Music Awards will continue for the second day on Sunday with more performances, films and presentations of awards. The triennial Awards, established by the Aga Khan in 2018, recognise exceptional creativity, promise and enterprise in music in societies across the world in which Muslims have a significant presence.  Award winners and recipients of a Special Mention will share a prize fund of $500,000 as well as opportunities for professional development.  List of the laureates of the 2022 Aga Khan Music Awards: Afel Bocoum (Mali) Singer and guitar player from Niafunké, Mali whose music combines acoustic guitar with local instruments to echo the sound of “desert blues” in an earthier, tradition-based style. Asin Khan Langa (India) Sarangi player, singer, composer and community activist from Rajasthan’s hereditary Langa musical community, who performs Sufi poetry set to traditional and newly composed melodies. Coumbane Mint Ely Warakane (Mauritania) Singer and ardin (harp) player from Trarza, in southwest Mauritania, who performs the music of Mauritanian griots in a deeply traditional style. Read more: Aga Khan Music Awards announces seven-member Master Jury 2022 Daud Khan Sadozai (Afghanistan) Leading exponent of the Afghan rubab who has had a major impact on the preservation, development and dissemination of Afghan music worldwide. Peni Candra Rini (Indonesia) Indonesian composer, improviser, vocalist and educator whose knowledge of traditional Indonesian performing arts informs her creation of new works produced worldwide. Soumik Datta (UK)  Sarod player who fuses his training in Hindustani classical music with pop, rock, electronica and film soundtracks to raise awareness about urgent social issues including climate change, refugees and mental health. Yahya Hussein Abdallah (Tanzania) Singer and composer of devotional songs and reciter of the Qur’an from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania who composes and sings in Swahili as well as some of Tanzania’s 126 local languages. Yasamin Shahhosseini (Iran) Leading young master of the oud who is reimagining the place of this instrument in Iranian music through her innovative compositions and improvisations. Zarsanga (Pakistan) Singer from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, known as the Queen of Pashtun Folklore for her career-long devotion to the orally transmitted traditional music of tribal Pashtuns. Special Mentions Dilshad Khan (India) Tenth-generation sarangi player from a hereditary lineage in Rajasthan who is expanding the language of the sarangi in film music and through innovative cross-cultural collaborative projects. Golshan Ensemble (Iran) Four women who perform Iranian traditional music with a contemporary sound and are active as teachers, with a special focus on transmitting their musical tradition to girls and women. Sain Zahoor (Pakistan) Punjabi musician with a lifelong practice of singing Sufi poetry in local shrines and festivals, often accompanied by ecstatic dance. Seyyed Mohammad Musavi & Mahoor Institute (Iran) Founder and long-time director of Mahoor Institute of Culture and Arts, who has made seminal contributions to the development of Iranian music and musicology. Read more: Despite some event hiccups, Suman still creates magic for Dhaka fans Zulkifli & Bur’am (Aceh, Indonesia) Revitalisers of Acehnese song traditions who have cultivated community building amongst youth through their participation in Bur’am, a traditional singing and drumming ensemble established by Zulkifli.

Bangladesh can be an example for other countries if people from all disciplines, not just the architects, can put in their best efforts for the country, says a young architect.  “We got the recognition relatively in a very early stage. It proves that those in the architecture discipline are demonstrating world class examples,” architect Saad Ben Mostafa told UNB. Mostafa is one of the three young architects whose project titled “Community Spaces in Rohingya Refugee Response, Cox’s Bazar” won the prestigious 2022 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA). Six winners, who will share the USD 1 million award, one of the biggest in architecture, show promise for communities, innovation and care for the environment. Read more: 2 Bangladesh projects win 2022 Aga Khan Award for Architecture Mostafa along with his two teammates — architects Khwaja Fatmi and Rizvi Hassan — will receive the award with other winners on Monday. The graduate from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) laid emphasis on focusing on work while understanding people’s needs and roots, not just replicating foreign designs. “I would say, we are going to receive the award on behalf of all. I see it as a big recognition for Bangladesh,” architect Fatmi told UNB. Architect Hassan said they wanted to see whether they can work based on local elements – taking materials and creating a beautiful, sustainable and an advanced design. Read More: Bangladesh project among Aga Khan Award for Architecture Winners In future, he said, they want to work in rural areas. “We want to engage people from the villages in our work. We want to see them join hands with us. We will work together.”

Marking 100 years of the founding of Dhaka University (DU), a permanent art gallery was inaugurated at the Alumni Floor of Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building on Friday. Dhaka University Alumni Association (DUAA) envisioned and initiated "Rong Tuli-te Dhaka Bishwobiddyaloy," which consists of a total of 113 artworks, including 106 paintings and seven sculptures, describing the glorious history of DU and its successful, influential students and alumni. DU Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) ASM Maksud Kamal inaugurated the gallery at 5pm today. KM Khalid, state minister for cultural affairs, joined the opening ceremony as the chief guest. AK Azad, former president of DUAA, spoke at the ceremony as a special guest, while General Secretary of Dhaka University Teachers' Association Professor Md Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan, eminent painter Professor Rafiqun Nabi, Managing Director and CEO of Eastern Bank Ali Reza Iftekhar and Managing Director of Dhaka Bank Emranul Haque also joined the opening ceremony.

Radwan Mujib Siddiq, grandson of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and trustee of Centre for Research and Information (CRI), made a visit to ‘Witnessing History in the Making: Photographs by Anne de Henning’ at Guimet Museum of Asian Art in Paris. The exhibition has been produced by Samdani Art Foundation and Centre for Research and Information. The exhibition is being held from October 19, 2022 to January 23, 2023 in partnership with Asia Now Paris Art Fair and Guimet Museum of Asian Art, according to a press release. The first iteration of the exhibition was held in Dhaka from December 10, 2021 to March 31, 2022 to celebrate 50 years of Bangladesh’s independence. The exhibition presents rare, never before seen images by French photographer Anne de Henning, curated by Ruxmini Reckvana Q Choudhury.  Between 1971 and 1972 the photojournalist captured the birth of Bangladesh. Anne’s photographs from 1972 feature Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She captured Bangabandhu giving a speech at the first Council Meeting of Awami League after the independence of Bangladesh. “I came specifically from Calcutta to photograph the event,” she said. Although at the time Anne favoured shooting in black and white, she chose to capture this event in colour because of the vibrant blue, white and red stripes of the shamiyana — ceremonial tent —that housed the event.  Radwan Mujib also attended the exhibition when it was held at National Art Gallery, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Radwan graduated in politics and history from the London School of Economics. He did his masters in comparative politics there. He now looks after the CRI and is working to empower and inspire the youth through its Young Bangla platform. Radwan is the publisher and architect behind ‘Mujib’, an autobiographical graphic novel on the Father of the Nation for the young readers. He also played a key role in the making of “Hasina: A Daughter’s Tale”, a docudrama on his aunt Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and mother Sheikh Rehana. Both the graphic novel and the docudrama were critically acclaimed in Bangladesh and abroad.

The exhibition ‘Witnessing History in the Making: Photographs by Anne de Henning’ — produced by Samdani Art Foundation and Centre for Research and Information — is travelling to Guimet Museum of Asian Art in Paris.  The exhibition will be held from October 19, 2022 to January 23, 2023 in partnership with Asia Now Paris Art Fair and Guimet Museum of Asian Art, according to a press release. The first iteration of the exhibition was held in Dhaka from December 10, 2021 to March 31, 2022 to celebrate 50 years of Bangladesh’s independence. The exhibition will present rare, never before seen images by French photographer Anne de Henning, curated by Ruxmini Reckvana Q Choudhury.  Between 1971 and 1972 the photojournalist captured the birth of the nation and her remarkable private archive of unseen photographs is a unique record of the pivotal years which saw East Pakistan transform into Bangladesh.  A Bangladeshi flag gifted by freedom fighters to Anne de Henning in 1971 will also be displayed at the exhibition. The earliest set of photographs from 1971 cover Anne’s first visit to the country at the age of 25. At that time, in the early days of conflict in April, the Pakistani authorities in Dhaka were not letting foreign journalists into the country.  This was obviously to keep them from reporting on the atrocities they were perpetrating on the civilian population after having launched Operation Searchlight on March 26, 1971.  Travelling through the country during the Liberation War, her photographs captured life in the war zone – from freedom fighters to men, women and children boarding refugee trains and fleeing from their villages.  In her powerful images the humanity of her subjects is combined with the grit of traditional photojournalism. Taken on her second visit to the country, Anne’s photographs from 1972 feature Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who, all his life, worked to decolonise the nation away from the rules of British and Pakistan towards democracy and freedom. Anne captured Bangabandhu giving a speech at the first Council Meeting of Awami League after the independence of Bangladesh. ‘I came specifically from Calcutta to photograph the event,’ she said. Although at the time Anne favoured shooting in black and white, she chose to capture this event in colour because of the vibrant blue, white and red stripes of the shamiyana — ceremonial tent —that housed the event.  Images of Bangabandhu were systematically destroyed after the coup of 1975 and her surviving colour photographs are among the few ones known to still exist. In addition to images of Anne’s travels throughout Bangladesh, the exhibition brings together other works from her archive including photographs taken in India and her coverage of the Vietnam War.

A bulldozer, which has come to represent repression of India’s Muslim minority, rolled down the street in Edison, New Jersey, during a procession celebrating the country’s Independence Day. People celebrating the occasion and those who went up to denounce violence against Muslims in India got into a yelling match at an event in Anaheim, California. Indian Americans from diverse religious backgrounds have lived in harmony in the United States for many years. But these recent developments in the United States, along with violent clashes between some Hindus and Muslims in Leicester, England, last month, have raised worries that India’s extreme political and religious divisiveness is seeping into its expatriate groups. In India, Hindu nationalism has surged under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party, which rose to power in 2014 and won a landslide election in 2019. The ruling party has faced fierce criticism over rising attacks against Muslims in recent years, from the Muslim community and other religious minorities as well as some Hindus who say Modi’s silence emboldens right-wing groups and threatens national unity. Hindu nationalism has split the Indian expatriate community just as Donald Trump’s presidency polarized the U.S., said Varun Soni, dean of religious life at the University of Southern California. It has about 2,000 students from India, among the highest in the country. Soni has not seen these tensions surface yet on campus. But he said USC received blowback for being one of more than 50 U.S. universities that co-sponsored an online conference called “Dismantling Global Hindutva.” The 2021 event aimed to spread awareness of Hindutva, Sanskrit for the essence of being Hindu, a political ideology that claims India as a predominantly Hindu nation plus some minority faiths with roots in the country such as Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism. Critics say that excludes other minority religious groups such as Muslims and Christians. Hindutva is different from Hinduism, an ancient religion practiced by about 1 billion people worldwide that emphasizes the oneness and divine nature of all creation. Read: E-passport services launched for Bangladeshi diaspora in USA Soni said it’s important that universities remain places where “we are able to talk about issues that are grounded in facts in a civil manner,” But, as USC’s head chaplain, Soni worries how polarization over Hindu nationalism will affect students’ spiritual health. “If someone is being attacked for their identity, ridiculed or scapegoated because they are Hindu or Muslim, I’m most concerned about their well-being — not about who is right or wrong,” he said. Anantanand Rambachan, a retired college religion professor and a practicing Hindu who was born in Trinidad and Tobago to a family of Indian origin, said his opposition to Hindu nationalism and association with groups against the ideology sparked complaints from some at a Minnesota temple where he has taught religion classes. He said opposing Hindu nationalism sometimes results in charges of being “anti-Hindu,” or “anti-India,” labels that he rejects. On the other hand, many Hindu Americans feel vilified and targeted for their views, said Samir Kalra, managing director of the Hindu American Foundation in Washington, D.C. “The space to freely express themselves is shrinking for Hindus,” he said, adding that even agreeing with the Indian government’s policies unrelated to religion can result in being branded a Hindu nationalist. Pushpita Prasad, a spokesperson for the Coalition of Hindus of North America, said her group has been counseling young Hindu Americans who have lost friends because they refuse “to take sides on these battles emanating from India.” “If they don’t take sides or don’t have an opinion, it’s automatically assumed that they are Hindu nationalist,” she said. “Their country of origin and their religion is held against them.” Both organizations opposed the Dismantling Global Hindutva conference criticizing it as “Hinduphobic” and failing to present diverse perspectives. Conference supporters say they reject equating calling out Hindutva with being anti-Hindu. Some Hindu Americans like 25-year-old Sravya Tadepalli, believe it’s their duty to speak up. Tadepalli, a Massachusetts resident who is a board member of Hindus for Human Rights, said her activism against Hindu nationalism is informed by her faith. “If that is the fundamental principle of Hinduism, that God is in everyone, that everyone is divine, then I think we have a moral obligation as Hindus to speak out for the equality of all human beings,” she said. “If any human is being treated less than or as having their rights infringed upon, then it is our duty to work to correct that.” Tadepalli said her organization also works to correct misinformation on social media that travels across continents fueling hate and polarization. Tensions in India hit a high in June after police in the city of Udaipur arrested two Muslim men accused of slitting a Hindu tailor’s throat and posting a video of it on social media. The slain man, 48-year-old Kanhaiya Lal, had reportedly shared an online post supporting a governing party official who was suspended for making offensive remarks against the Prophet Muhammad. Hindu nationalist groups have attacked minority groups, particularly Muslims, over issues related to everything from food or wearing head scarves to interfaith marriage. Muslims’ homes have also been demolished using heavy machinery in some states, in what critics call a growing pattern of “bulldozer justice.” Such reports have Muslim Americans afraid for the safety of family members in India. Shakeel Syed, executive director of the South Asian Network, a social justice organization based in Artesia, California, said he regularly hears from his sisters and senses a “pervasive fear, not knowing what tomorrow is going to be like.” Syed grew up in the Indian city of Hyderabad in the 1960s and 1970s in “a more pluralistic, inclusive culture.” “My Hindu friends would come to our Eid celebrations and we would go to their Diwali celebrations,” he said. “When my family went on summer vacation, we would leave our house keys with our Hindu neighbor, and they would do the same when they had to leave town.” Read: On the ground and afar, diaspora boosts India’s virus fight Syed believes violence against Muslims has now been mainstreamed in India. He has heard from girls in his family who are considering taking off their hijabs or headscarves out of fear. In the U.S., he sees his Hindu friends reluctant to engage publicly in a dialogue because they fear retaliation. “A conversation is still happening, but it’s happening in pockets behind closed doors with people who are like-minded,” he said. “It’s certainly not happening between people who have opposing views.” Rajiv Varma, a Houston-based Hindu activist, holds a diametrically opposite view. Tensions between Hindus and Muslims in the West, he said, are not a reflection of events in India but rather stem from a deliberate attempt by “religious and ideological groups that are waging a war against Hindus.” Varma believes India is “a Hindu country” and the term “Hindu nationalism” merely refers to love for one’s country and religion. He views India as a country ravaged by conquerors and colonists, and Hindus as a religious group that does not seek to convert or colonize. “We have a right to recover our civilization,” he said. Rasheed Ahmed, co-founder and executive director of the Washington D.C.-based Indian American Muslim Council, said he is saddened “to see even educated Hindu Americans not taking Hindu nationalism seriously.” He believes Hindu Americans must make “a fundamental decision about how India and Hinduism should be seen in the U.S. and the world over.” “The decision about whether to take Hinduism back from whoever hijacked it, is theirs.” Zafar Siddiqui, a Minnesota resident, is hoping to “reverse some of this mistrust, polarization” and build understanding through education, personal connections and interfaith assemblies. Siddiqui, a Muslim, has helped bring together a group of Minnesotans of Indian origin — including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and atheists — who meet for monthly potlucks. “When people sit down, say, over lunch or dinner or over coffee, and have a direct dialogue, instead of listening to all these leaders and spreading all this hate, it changes a lot of things,” Siddiqui said. But during one recent gathering, some argued over a draft proposal to at some point seek dialogue with people who hold different views. Those who disagreed explained that they didn’t support reaching out to Hindu nationalists and feared harassment. Siddiqui said that for now, future plans include focusing on education and interfaith events spotlighting India’s different traditions and religions. “Just to keep silent is not an option,” Siddiqui said. “We needed a platform to bring people together who believe in peaceful co-existence of all communities.”

After 13 years, Dhaka audiences got another chance to listen to the widely popular West Bengal singer-lyricist-composer Kabir Suman’s timeless songs on Saturday evening. The concert celebrated 30 years of Suman’s ground-breaking album “Tomake Chai”. Though the concert was scheduled to begin at 4:30 pm, audiences had to wait in long queue past the time to enter the venue at Dhaka’s Institute of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB). One of the waiting fans told UNB, “I was expecting a better arrangement for a legendary musician like Kabir Suman in Dhaka.” After the long wait, all was forgiven when a humble Kabir Suman took the stage – in an auditorium filled to the brim.

Iconic West Bengal musician Kabir Suman is all set to perform live in Bangladesh after a long hiatus, marking 30 years of his album “Tomake Chai” that has attained the status of a classic. Suman, also an immensely popular composer and lyricist, will sing for his fans in Dhaka on three days — on October 15, 18 and 21 — at the main auditorium of National Museum in Dhaka.The revered artist will perform contemporary Bangla songs on October 15, modern Bangla Kheyal songs on October 18, and again contemporary Bangla songs on October 21 respectively.The three-day event is being organised by the event management company Peephole, which disclosed the details at a press conference at the Bishwa Shahitto Kendro in the capital on Wednesday. Peephole executives Fuad Bin Omar and Mir Arif Billah, among others, were present at the press conference.Briefing media, they informed that the programme is being organised to celebrate 30 years anniversary of Suman's debut album“Tomake Chai”. The massively popular album was released In April 1992.