Citizen Times Desk: Dhaka, Aug-02,
Sunday, 1st of August marked the 50th anniversary of the historic ‘Concert for Bangladesh’, the charity concert organized for the aid of Bangladesh during the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh by world-famous Indian sitar maestro Pandit Sri Ravi Shankar, and English singer, songwriter, and lead guitarist of The Beatles, George Harrison at the historic Madison Square Garden, New York.
Initiated with a mission to draw international
attention to the war genocide and fund relief for refugees from then East
Pakistan, the pair of concerts was organized on August 1st, 1971 featuring
legendary names in world music including Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton,
Billy Preston, Leon Russell and more.
The Concert for Bangladesh is acknowledged as the
first such charity concert for a humanitarian cause, that paved the way for
many later events such as BandAid, LiveAid and Live8.
Although the ongoing global pandemic of Covid-19
prevented any massive-scale celebration in the country, the historic day has
been observed with deep respect and a couple of significant arrangements as
tributes to the historic charity concert that addressed Bangladesh to many of
the music lovers around the world.
Honouring the legacy of the historic concert,
London-based UBIK Productions and Samdani Art Foundation (Dhaka) organized a
unique online concert titled ‘Concert from Bangladesh’ on Sunday, supported by
the British Council Digital Collaboration Fund.
The mixed reality concert, streamed live at the
Pioneer Works' online platform on Sunday at 6 pm (Bangladesh time) enthralled
audiences through an exclusive audio-visual journey divided into an expansive
three-act, featuring renowned Baul singer Arif Baul accompanied by instrumental
artists Nazrul Islam, Saidur Rahman, and Sohel; an exclusive piece on the
second act composed by Enayet Kabir and Nishit Dey, exploring the shared
musical language between Nazrul Sangeet, classical raga, and 90s music
utilizing the cutting edge electronic production and arrangements by Enayet Kabir,
Provhat Rahman and Adittya Arzu, also known as Siaminium, with classical raga
and Nazrul Sangeet by Meerashri Arshee and Moumita Haque, Bansuri flute by
Jawaad Mustakim Al Muballig and Nishit Dey on sitar - and the concluding act by
the popular Bangladeshi hip hop duo, the 12-year-old 'Gully Boy' Rana alongside
Tabib Mahmud.
Acclaimed British-South Asian artist Shezad Dawood
crafted the virtual reality stage for the concert with having the
historical-intellectual hub Beauty Boarding, the riverbanks of Gorai River in
Kushtia and Somapura Mahavihara in Paharpur, Naoga on the background. The
concert was co-curated by Diana Campbell, Artistic Director of the SAF,
alongside music producer and artist Enayet Kabir, assistant curators Ruxmini
Choudhury and Shoummo Saha.
Inspired by the virtuous concept of the charity
Concert for Bangladesh, all proceeds from this unique concert will be
distributed between the performing musicians and Bangladeshi charity
organisation, Friendship, which offers healthcare for climate change refugees
and promotes women's rights in Bangladesh.
Earlier, Posts and Telecommunications Minister
Mustafa Jabbar on Sunday unveiled a commemorative stamp worth Tk 10 and an
opening envelope worth Tk 10 from his office in Dhaka, alongside a data card
worth Tk 5, honouring the historic concert.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Information and
Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak unveiled a special commemorative
book titled 'The Country That Lived - Fifty Years of Freedom and the Concert
for Bangladesh' on Saturday.
The ‘Concert for Bangladesh’, joined by 40,000 live
audiences at the Madison Square Garden in New York City is considered the
trailblazing event that revolutionized many all-star charity events that have
followed ever since.
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