Feature

Tribute to Concert for Bangladesh:
Thanks for the Music

Asrar Chowdhury

1971. The power of music
Sunday. The first day of August of 1971. Madison Square Garden. New York. The 'baby' Beatle, George Harrison, responds to the call of a 'friend'. Ravi Shankar and his 'friend' Ali Akbar Khan. Two sons from Bangladesh. A country both left behind, in the distance, but not in their hearts.

George calls up his 'friends'. The 12 'universal' notes of the Octave (Saptak). Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti; A B C D E F G. And of course. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni. The 12 'universal' notes come from all corners of the globe. They all come to a common destination. They congregate to a common cause. They all meet at Madison Square Garden in New York. To let the world know a common message.

The massacre in the newly born Bangladesh has to stop. The power of music entered into a holy wedlock with 'love and peace'. Yes. The Concert for Bangladesh. The Concert of George Harrison and Friends created awareness internationally about the Liberation War of Bangladesh. The world came to know about the aspiration of millions of innocent civilians.

1971. Three million lives. 266 days. 7.83 lives per minute. This is just the human price Bangladesh paid for her freedom. Nothing. Nothing could stop the spirit of the aspiration of a ten-lettered word Bangladesh. After paying one of the highest prices ever for human lives in one of the shortest possible time, Bangladesh emerged victorious on the 16th day of December in 1971. 'Shabash' Bangladesh.

Thirty years later. The year 2001
29 November. 2001. George stops living in the material world. He makes his trip to the heavens. The others will soon start joining him. Harrison was alive for thirty more years after the Concert for Bangladesh. Unfortunately. An 'official' tribute never saw daylight.

Three dozen years from 1971. The year 2007
Again November. This time the year 2007. Asrar Chowdhury wonders and ponders. Is it too late? Thirty six years and still no recognition. Isn't it a pity? Isn't it a shame? Nay. It's never too late to start. A new cause emerges in www.facebook.com. “Tribute to Concert for Bangladesh: Thanks for the Music”. The mission is simple. To make an official recognition of the Concert for Bangladesh a reality. The 12 'universal' notes once again make a call. Come together. Four others team up. Akku Chowdhury, Sonjoy Chakraborty, Tamohar Islam and Jibon Akash. These five may be a dreamer, but they're not the only ones. On the 27th day of November these five people set out on a mission.

December 2007. Here comes the Sun, and Here Comes “Tribute to Concert for Bangladesh”

“Tribute to Concert for Bangladesh” embarks on a journey. It seeks to stage concerts in various places of Bangladesh. The series of concerts will end in Dhaka through a grand finale. The Concert for Bangladesh in 1971 was a trendsetter for future 'pretenders'. The prime objective of “Tribute to Concert for Bangladesh” in 2007 is to say thanks to George Harrison and Friends for that unforgettable evening at Madison Square Garden in 1971. And through this thanks we seek to keep the fire of our Liberation War alive and pass on that fire to the young generation. It seeks to pass on that fire through the 12 'universal' notes, music. It's never too late to start. As long as one starts. Because indeed. The story of Bangladesh, is an ancient one, again made fresh.

The 12 'universal' notes once again make a call. Isn't it high time we make an official recognition of the Concert for Bangladesh a reality?