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.
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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.
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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.
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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.