The world was silent. The only source of sound came from the stage of the arena. Pundit Chaurasia’s flute was the focal point of the universe where everything met and life began. All fifty-nine thousand people were in a trance, enchanted by the magician. A domino effect of epiphanies and a meteor shower of self-awakening. The drone of the tanpura kept everyone rooted as the maestro intricately climbed up and down the Raag Ahir – Bhairav Alaap.
“The Bengal Music Fest to me is an annual purification process. Watching Hariprasad Chaurasia, the inspiration to play music gets a quantum boost. It takes about a year to start feeling low again and the five day festival refreshes my energy reserve. It is also the place to meet musicians from all types of categories and genres, the ideal place for musical minds to derive ideas and inspiration from.
Most importantly, it is delightful to see people from all demographics, socialising and interacting at the event. Alongside young musicians developing new concepts, it also trains the general listener to appreciate the classical forms of Hindustani Classical Music.”
– Musarrat Jabeen Rahman, Contemporary Flautist
Three friends and I headed to the festival together on the first night. We were quite late reaching the venue and the cars trying to get into the music festival were holding up the traffic near the Kurmitola flyover. We parked nearby and started the ten minute walk to the venue. Amongst others I met many familiar faces making their way to the festival. We were walking briskly and the melodies were wafting out of the venue as I explained to my friends some concepts and theories behind Hindustani Classical Music. We entered to find Rajrupa Chowdhury on stage bedazzling the audience with her Sarod virtuosity. Before settling down to do some serious listening we decided to take a thorough and quick tour of the location. While passing the VIP section, during Ruchira Kedari’s set, there was the friendly and familiar face of a Nazrul Geeti artiste standing next to the seats. He had a delicate smile on his face and was happily drumming his fingers over his left knuckle. I asked what the count was and he closed his eyes, after a bit more counting replied saying that it was a Vilambit in Ektaal. I thanked him and moved towards the bleachers.
All of Dhaka City was at the bleachers, quite literally!
“I felt proud that this was happening in Dhaka. People from so many demographic backgrounds coming together to celebrate the music of our roots. Where all the modern day stuff we listen to now stemmed from. Even for those who came to socialise, what a giant fireball of energy the place was! It was hard not to be impressed! Fifty-nine thousand people! What a great turnout.”
– Lusana Anika Masrur
It was another planet there, not only was the atmosphere much more relaxed than the VIP section it was vibrant as well. Kids were hanging out and sharing laughs, and whenever the maestros on stage flashed a glimpse of their artistry the crowd cheered and whooped in appreciation. I spied interactions between friends gathered around the food stalls. On seeing a bunch of people share ice cream in front of me gave me a sudden urge to go out and explore the food stalls.
“It’s fun because it is a collective experience. People in general want to be a part of something big. I remember during the 2013 Music Fest the rest of the country was at a standstill owing to the political turmoil but it was as if the festival with all its people existed in another time and space. Most people might not be into the listening and analysis of classical music – I personally love the food and the socialising!”
– Shehzeen Chowdhury
Our adventure came to a halt at the Haleem Station where I helped myself to two bowlfuls of, undoubtedly, the best Haleem in Dhaka! We then cleared our pallates with generous scoops of ice cream and made our way to the VIP section for the first night’s main event, Pundit Ajay Chakraborty’s performance.
The next few days whizzed by. The normalcy of my daily life was put on hold as everything revolved around the festival. I, like many others, was looking forward to day four. However, when I entered the stadium we were informed with the awful news of Qayyum Chowdhury’s demise.
This year’s highlight at BCMF was Kaushiki Chakraborty’s performance as usual. She started with a Taran in Raga Bagashree and stole everyone’s hearts yet again, finishing off with the Thumri, “Rangi Sari Gulabi Chuniyari” in Raag Pahari. The fourth and the most memorable night ended with Chaurasia’s spellbinding performance.
“As a musician – it was an eye opening, learning experience, teaching me that music is not only skill and practice but much more, transcending into the spiritual plane of the soul. On a social front the fest brought together a myriad of people from different walks of life with a common interest, and led me to meet a lot of known friendly faces, many of whom I did not expect to be there. Although many people only came because of their curiosity to know what the fuss is all about, an increasing number of people are coming to actually listen to and enjoy the music. The rise in the number of listeners over the number of years has been fascinating to watch.”
– Jannatul Firdous Akbar, aspiring musician and MBA student at NSU
The Festival ended with the Sarod wizard himself, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. The conclusion left us with a sweet nostalgia. The fun was over but it was also time for us to move on and get back to our regular lives. It is January and almost two month have passed since BCMF and, to be honest, I still haven’t fully withdrawn from that cycle. I can vouch for others who feel the same way. The new year keeps in store many wishes, hopes and a guaranteed promise of the Festival! Stay tuned for more Ragas!