& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Impressive Cultural Diplomacy

Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi hosts programme honouring Tagore

Pallab Bhattacharya, New Delhi
The Maitree (Friendship) Hall at the Bangladesh High Commission here was, on May 21, the venue of a “jugalbandi" (duet) featuring Rabindra Sangeet singer Dr. Chanchai Khan and reciter Dahlia Ahmed on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.
Both Khan and Ahmed were on show in the Indian capital for the first time and they ensured it was a memorable one. Recital of Tagore's songs by Ahmed and their rendition by Khan followed each other in turn for one and half hours in front of a packed audience that included Chief Minister of Meghalaya state, diplomats, leading cultural personalities, Bangladeshi expatriates working in international organisations and NGOs, students from Bangladesh, and the Mission officials and their family members.
The programme began with the Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Tariq Ahmed Karim welcoming the guests. Karim spoke about the universality of the spirit of Tagore and the joint celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of the poet by Bangladesh and India.
The sizable presence of non-Bangla speaking people in the audience was not disappointed because Chanchai Khan also rendered the English versions of the songs and explained their theme, background and context. He was ably supported by Ahmed.
In the interest of non-Bengali audience, Khan recalled the influence of Irish, Scottish and English folk music
traditions on Tagore's songs and sang the numbers “Ami Kaan Petey Roi” and “Amar Poth Chawatei Ananda” to buttress his point.
Khan also sung Tagore's songs influenced by the Baul tradition and also "Baro Asha Korey” and "Laboney Purno Pran" whose music had originated from Carnatic ragas.
The showstopper, however, came when Khan rendered “Jodi Tor Daak Shuney Keu Na Aashey” in Bangla and then its English translation by late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to wrap up the programme by drawing the 250-plus audience into the song.
“It is not merely a song. It is an inspiration. I deliberately chose Indira Gandhi's translation because she was a Visva Bharati student when Tagore was alive,” Khan told The Daily Star later.
Dahlia Ahmed's recitation of Tagore's poetry in Bangla and English with her usual flair and smoothness captivated the audience.
The function also brought to light once again an often-hidden talent of Bangladesh's Deputy High Commissioner Mahbub Hassan Saleh as a recitation artist. On a request from Chanchai Khan, the diplomat recited the poem "Sonar Tori’’.
The programme was yet another feather in the hat of the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, which has in the last two years unleashed cultural diplomacy, in a refreshing break from the past. The cultural diplomacy has seen holding of a first-ever Bangladesh Film Festival in the Indian capital a year ago — a resounding success — and screening of films by directors like Zahir Raihan.