OHIO UTSAB
Strengthening investment and engagement in the arts
1. Bhasha Sur Chhonde-Sonda Matir Gondhe (Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland)
Our identity is engineered by the soil that nourished us and the culture and language that we inherited. In search of that identity Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus, together, leads us to our roots through a patch-quilt of Bengali folk songs. Through Gambhira, Tusu, Baul, Bhadu,Jhumur, Santhali, and Bhatiali the vastness of our language is celebrated. In this technology reliant existence of ours we take a short detour through our folk traditions and in the process reiterate Tagore, ‘emancipation from the bondage of the soil is not freedom’, rather, it is in paying the price.
Dancers:
Columbus: Shomshukla Bhowmick,Shatavisha Bhattacharjee,Banani Sarkar,Ananya Biswas,Shamma Roy,Ananya Das
Cincinnati: Anasua Bhattacharya,Chandrani Das,Anuradha Sanyal,Aadrija Biswas,Ishika Mukherjee,Tannishtha Ray
Narration:
Tapas Ray (Cincinnati),Jayeeta Ghosh (Cincinnati),Leena Chakravarty (Cleveland),
Choreography:
Anasua Bhattacharya,Chandrani Das,Anuradha Sanyal,Shomshukla Bhowmick
2. Presenting Bangladeshi culture with poem and music (Columbus)
Sylvie Islam (host and singer)
Kaniz Khaleda (poem reciter)
Jahan E Alam (guitarist)
Ishfaqul Islam (percussionist)
Nusrah Chowdhury ( singer )
3. Shaptak (Cleveland)
The Shaptak’s program for the 2016 Ohio Utsab is based on the reminiscences of our past life.Leaving early life and family behind thousands miles away, we often go back to our past and fondly recollect the music which were played at homes, neighborhood markets, rural fields, and river banks. These are “Bangla folk songs” which touched our hearts so deep that we still cherish them in our western lives. In light of this, SHAPTAK has selected a few Bengali folk songs and poems in an attempt to enjoy them with the entire immigrant Bengalis attending the Ohio Utsab.
Performers:
Lina Ahmed,Mohammad Ali,Bilkis Banu,Simly Barua,Ashfaque Chowdhury,Manashi Deb,Manabendra Dey,Omar Faruk,Shawli Kamal, Nazneen Khan,Mousumi Laila,Minhaz Uddin
4. পরাণের গহীন ভিতর (Cleveland)
বৃহত্তর ক্লীভল্যান্ডে বসবাসকারী পূর্ব এবং পশ্চিম বাংলার বাঙালীদের একটি যৌথ প্রযোজনা। অনুষ্ঠানটিতে সংখ্যালঘু উপজাতি জীবনের বিভিন্ন খন্ডচিত্র তুলে ধরা হয়েছে।পার্বত্য এবং সমতল উভয় এলাকায় উপজাতি সম্প্রদায়ের জীবন যাপন, তাদের লোকাচার বাংলা সাহিত্য ও সংস্কৃতিকে বর্ণাঢ্য ও সমৃদ্ধ করছে।"পরাণের গহীন ভিতর" এ যেমন আছে মানব মানবীর প্রেমের সুরেলা সংগীত, যাবতীয় আনন্দোৎসবের ছন্দময় নৃত্য, তেমনি আছে উপজাতিদের দ্রোহ এবং দাহের কবিতা। প্রতিটি পর্বে ‘স্লাইড শো’ র মাধ্যমে দেখানো হয়েছে উপজাতিদের বর্ণময় জীবন যাপনের আনন্দ বেদনা আর দিন রাত্রির ছবি।
উপস্হাপনা: পুলম
আবৃত্তি: লীনা, শায়লা, তিতাস
সংগীত: তানিয়া
নৃত্য: আমরিন, আরীব, আদর, লোপামুদ্রা, গার্গী
যন্ত্র সংগীত: আতিউর, মানবেন্দ্র
নির্দেশক: ফাহিমা
চিত্রশিল্পী: তারিক, প্রসেনজিৎ, আহসান
5. Duti Kotha - Ekti Sur (CCI, Cincinnati)
A beautiful rendition of some Bengali songs which were so popular that although they came into existence in 60s through 80s, but they have left an indelible impression that they not only crossed the regional barrier and became popular beyond the boundaries of Bengal but also their melodies still remembered by our generations. A humble attempt to present some of those songs which are sung in both Hindi and Bengali. Our program; "Duti Kotha - Ekti Sur" - is a presentation from Cincinnati Cultural Initiative
Performers:
Amrita Mukherjee
Amrapali Roy
Swatee Dey
Nabarun Choudhury
Anshuman Das
6. Folk songs and Lalon Geeti (COBCA, Columbus)
Bengali folk songs form an integral part of the rich Bengali culture, literature and heritage. With time, folk songs went through transformations and assumed the traditions, emotions, thoughts and values of the community. Folk songs can be classified in seven styles: love, ritual, philosophy and devotion, work and labor, profession and occupation, satire and fun, and mixed.
Lalon, also known as Lalon Sain, Lalon Shah, Lalon Fakir or Mahatma Lalon (c. 1772 – 17 October 1890; Bengali: 1 Kartik, 1179), was a Bengali Baul, saint, mystic, songwriter, social reformer and thinker. Considered an archetypal icon of Bengali culture, Lalon inspired and
influenced many poets, social and religious thinkers and rejected all distinctions of caste and creed. Though generally celebrated as an epitome of religious tolerance, he was also accused of heresy during his lifetime and after his death. Throughout his life, Lalon sang of a society where all religions and beliefs are in harmony. In Ohio Utsab, we are demonstrating the folk songs for styles of love, satire, work and labor as well as Lalon geeti.
Performers:
Sayan Mandal (Keyboard)
Debanjan Chakraborty (Tabla)
Arun Saha (Guitar)
Anirban Biswas (Vocal)
Srirupa Gupta (Vocal)
7. Cholobot Joroman (CCI, Cincinnati)
8. Ami: The Dance Drama (COBCA, Columbus)
The program "Shristi" is based on a poem named "Ami" written by Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore had a conviction that the Creation comprises a Universal Mind which manifests itself through every individual human being as his ‘ego’ with which we perceive Creation. That Creation would be inane without this ‘ego’, which has been marvelously upheld in his poem “Ami” (“I”), not as a fundamentalist’s dogma, but with a poet’s deep love and piety for the marvels of Creation around us. This conviction of Tagore will be depicted in "Shristi" through dance, music and songs.
Dancers:
Ananya Das,Banani Biswas,Bratati Das,Chandrani Das,Debadrita Modak,Shamma Roy,Shatavisha Bhattacharje,Simki Paul,Soma Das
Sravya Paul
Female Singers:
Gouri Saha Dutta,Joyeeta Ghosh,Koyel Jana,Payel Gupta,Srirupa Gupta,Sritama Kar
Gouri Saha Dutta,Joyeeta Ghosh,Koyel Jana,Payel Gupta,Srirupa Gupta,Sritama Kar
Male singers:
Abhisekh Mukherjee,Biswanath Das,Saurav Roychoudhury
Abhisekh Mukherjee,Biswanath Das,Saurav Roychoudhury
Synthesizer:
Sayan Mandal
Tabla:
Somnath Biswas
Guitar:
Abhishek Mukherjee
Choreography:
Shatavisha Manna,Chandrani Das
Akash hote dance: Shravya and Ananya
Recitation:
Tanusree Dutta,Goutam Malakar
Light:
Subrata Das
Songs of Tagore, Nazrul and Bengali Modern
Singers:
Guru Das,Shamima (Ratna) Choudhury
