Dhaka: Peshkar Cultural Forum has recently unveiled the fifth session of Raga and Rhythm on January 7, 2017 at Chhayanaut Auditorium in Dhaka. Artistes who cast spell with their magical raga were Mir Naqibul Islam on tabla, Vidushi Runu Mitra on vocal, and Ebadul Haq Shaikat on sitar.  

The musical evening set off with a mesmerising tabla recital by Mir Naqibul Islam accompanied by Tamnia Islam on the harmonium. Mir Naqibul Islam’s powerful presentation of the Taal tritaal 16 beats, Kayda, Peshkar, Tukra, Chakradar created a lively ambience as Naqibul Islam constantly connected with the audience in between his performance.

His stylistic approach of performing by wearing his heart on his sleeves created a homely atmosphere for those who came in to explore the emerging genre of classical music in Bangladesh.

Mir Naqibul Islam, an artiste from Farukhbad gharana, is receiving ‘talim’ on tabla by Shri Ashoke Paul for the past 15 years, took ‘talim’ Pandit Gopal Mishra.

Followed by a tabla recital, veteran classical vocal artist Runu Mitra created a soulful ambience with her raag maru behag bhilambeet, drut thumri and bhajan. Thumri, which is a romantic genre and relies heavily on beautifully crafted texts, mesmerised the classical music enthusiasts.

Runu Mitra was accompanied by Ashoke Paul on the tabla, Tamnia Islam on the sitar and Sanjibon Sanyal on the harmonium. Runu Mitra is a Gandabandh Shishya of the ‘Padma Bhushan and Deshi Cottam’ Pandit Jnan Prokash Ghose.

Ashoke Paul is Runu Mitra’s brother and also a disciple of Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh. Ashoke Paul took talim from Pandit Madan Gopal Das, Pandit Gopal Mishra and Padma Shree Pandit Suresh Talwalkar.

Curtain fell off with the memoir of Ebadul Haq Shaikat’s sitar performance on alap, jod, raag hamsadhwani rupak gaat, raag desh bhilambeet and drut teentaal. He was accompanied by Mir Naqibul Islam on the tabla. Shaikat, an artiste from Maihar Gharana, is currently taking talim from world renowned Pandit Debaprashad Chakrabarty, and also disciple of world renowned sitar maestro Pandit Kartik Seshadri.