Shilpakala to celebrate Tagore’s 165th birth anniversary with four-day programme

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is set to celebrate the 165th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore with a four-day programme titled “Shanti O Manobotar Kobi Rabindranath”, to be held from May 8 to 11 at the National Theatre Hall in Dhaka.

Organised with support from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the event will feature Rabindra Sangeet, dance, recitations, discussions, theatre productions and an art exhibition dedicated to the Nobel laureate poet. Similar programmes will also be held at district-level Shilpakala academies across the country.

According to the schedule, Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon will attend the inaugural session tomorrow (May 8) as chief guest, while State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin will be present as special guest. Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr ABM Obaidul Islam is expected to join as chief discussant. The programme will be presided over by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Director General poet Rezauddin Ahmed Stalin.

On May 9, Chief Whip of the Jatiya Sangsad Nurul Islam Moni will attend as chief guest, while State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam will join as special guest. Cultural Affairs Secretary Kaniz Mawla will preside over the session.

The May 10 programme will feature Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury as chief guest. State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam and adviser on policy and strategy to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Dr Zahed Ur Rahman, are also scheduled to attend.

An art exhibition titled “Rabir Chitra, Chitre Rabi” will open the same day at Gallery-2 of the National Art Gallery building. The exhibition will continue until May 23 and remain open daily from 11 am to 8 pm.

The closing ceremony on May 11 will feature political and industries affairs adviser to the prime minister Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed as chief guest. Theatre troupe Prachyanat will stage Rabindranath Tagore’s “Achalayatan”, directed by Azad Abul Kalam.

The programmes will remain open to the public.