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DRockstars gala night While the gates were open from 6 p.m., the program began at around 7 o' clock. The show kicked off with a spectacular laser show a dazzling display of light that enthralled the audience. Next, a video about the whole journey of the show and the finalists was shown. Grameen Phone managing director Eric Aas, who couldn't be present at the show, also conveyed his best wishes to the finalists through a pre-recorded video. After that, the 'real' show started, as the ten finalists of the show performed individually. First up on stage was Intehad, who has won the support and admiration of a lot of people with his melodious voice and original compositions. He was the only contestant in the show who had never sung anything other than his own compositions. In the gala night, he performed yet another one of his own songs. The next singer on stage was Salman, a student of BRAC University. He performed alternative rock band Black's song 'Blues Rode'. Next to perform was Amin, who comes from a very poor family in Khulna. He thanked all the audience, his fans and the sponsors of DRockstars for giving him a platform to showcase his talent. Sangeeta performed next after Amin, singing the folk song 'Moriley Kandis Na'. It might be added here that she was one of only two female finalists of the show. The youngest contestant of the show, nineteen years old Niloy came next on stage. He covered Ayub Bachchu's popular number 'Ghum Bhanga Shohore'. Next came Samrat, who hails from Barisal. He performed the song 'Shorolotar Protima' originally sung by Khalid. Opu entered the stage next and sang the hit song 'Pori' by Bappa. Masud from Sylhet and Susmita performed after Opu respectively. And last but not the least, Shuvo came up on stage and entertained the audience with his husky voice and exceptional vocal skills.
After the prize distribution ceremony, the top six finalists were announced. They were - Samrat, Sangeeta, Opu, Susmita, Masud and Shuvo. And then it was time for the final results. The final scores were made by adding sixty percent of the judges' markings and forty percent of SMS votes. But as soon as the scores of the first four contestants Samrat, Sangeeta, Opu and Susmita were announced, it was also announced that none of them would be the winner. So the competition was now left with only Shuvo and Masud. At this point of time, Bangla rock legend Azam Khan was called on stage to announce the winner. And altough trailing behind on the judge markings, Shuvo won the contest because of the larger number of votes he received. 'I am very happy to have won this competition, but I would say that all of the ten finalists are rockstars and winners in their own regard. I would never separate myself from them,' said a visibly emotional Shuvo. A former 'Benson Hedges: Star Search' winner, Shuvo had been in the music scene for quite a while even before this competition. Apart from beingthe vocal of a rock band, he studies in the Institute of Educational Research of Dhaka University. He got to receive a check for three lakh takas from Grameen Phone and an album contract with Ayub Bachchu. The other nine finalists also got a check worth fifty thousand takas from Grameen Phone. All ten finalists will go on a nationwide tour with Ayub Bachcu soon. The main program having ended, it was time for the maestro Bachcu to mesmerize the audience with his guitar work. He called the top thirty contestants on stage as he played his instrument to perfection. The gala night was attended by many media personalities including Shafin Ahmed, Partho Barua, Tinni etc. All in all, the gala night was probably a perfect end to a very successful show. Rock music lovers of Bangladesh would definitely like to see more such events in the future to promote this genre of music and to discover the talents hidden all over the country. By Zeeshan B. Rahman Campus news Under The Same Sun: A Literary Presentation Scholastica Senior Section's Annual Production Scholastica has a name for its annual productions, and this year the school attempted something different than the usual. Following last year's Acholayatan by Rabindranath Tagore, this year the program consisted of extracts from four different plays two in English and two in Bengali, altogether titled “Under the Same Sun.” (aka Aki Shurjer Niche as in similar to Aki Chatar Tole). Staged at the STM Hall of the Uttara Senior Section, the production was performed four days in a row from the 21st to the 24th of March, each day with a full house of audience. The raison d'être behind selecting the four different extracts from four different plays was to show that although there are so many diverse people, varied cultures, religions and languages, ultimately we all live under the same sun (and moon), and we express ourselves, our different tastes and colors via the same arts of songs, music and theatre. Thus, the production acts as a plea for harmony disregarding the differences in the human race. The four extracts were selected from “The Seagull” by Anton Chekov, “Bourgeois Gentleman” by Moliere, “Rokto Karabi” by Rabindranath Tagore and “Tiner Talwar” by Utpal Datta and were performed respectively. Each extract portrays a different time and the struggles of theatre in history. Seagull speaks of a disagreement between traditional and modern art forms which are reflected in a conflict between a famous actress, Arcadina and her aspiring artist son, Trepliov.
Bengali extracts included Rakta Karabi where Tagore portrays the exposition of symbolist theatre where man, nature and music is ripped off its bondage by the industrial age. The last performance, the Tiner Talwar, was by far the best, where Utpal Datta depicts the 19th century society when the wealthy dominated the exponents of theatre and the competition between established directors. The play was most appreciated by the audience due to the humor extracted by two bhotkas, one chubby guy, one pichi and one extremely neeka maiden. Three cheers to them! The dancers, however, had the hardest time (as usual) as each scene was intervened by a dance sequence and frankly, the dances were marvelous. Choreographed by Rumana Malik and Kaniz Tazia Ahmed, the dancers really livened up the show especially with the mixture of eastern and western dances, as the dancers were heavily 'decorated' with flowers and layers and layers of make-up. The stage was also very unique and amazing set up by Mr. Md. Shaiful Islam along with the light and sound designs. Directed by Mr Kazi Toufikil Islam Emon, assisted by Mr. Sakhawat Hossain Risvi and Mr. Md. Arshad Hossain and concept & compilation by Mr. Mojibur Rahman, the production was no less a success than its predecessors. Mrs. Yasmeen Murshed, chairperson of Scholastica, was present in the last three days of the show and much appreciated it. In the end, yet again, Scholastica has managed to pull off another superb performance, much deserved by the hard work put on by all the participating students! By Adnan M. S. Fakir Business week at Aga Khan school For the past two years, the Business Week has been an integral part of the Aga Khan School calendar. The purpose of the Business Week is to give students a practical idea about how a business is run, all the while having enormous fun! This year the event kicked off on 19th February, with the whole school community joining in enthusiastically. Students had the option of either opening a trading firm, or working in the service sector. Our entrepreneurs went to work immediately, setting up stalls selling any and everything. Customers were torn between the myriad treats offered, with some opting for spaghetti and fried rice, others going for deshi phuchka or achaar. Those without a hankering for scrumptious tidbits could check out a great collection of t-shirts and jewellery, play fun games or get a CD of their favourite songs written- all at very reasonable prices. Of course all of this would not have been possible without the invaluable assistance of the service sector. Our young professionals were there every step of the way, from the real estate firms leasing plots, to the banks offering loans and the advertising firms decking the school up with posters, leaflets and banners. Making sure that the whole event went smoothly were the Grade XII students- the government. It was a good chance for the senior students to work closely with the juniors, teaching and being taught a few things about the difficult world of business. All in all, AKS Business Week 2006 was a tremendous success. Everyone had a wonderful time, and we all got to take home something- be it leftovers, a little profit or even some great memories. N. Mahbub |
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After the performances of the ten finalists were over, it was time for the prize distribution. Faridur Reza Sagar, managing director of Chennel I, Rubaba Dowla Matin, head of marketing of Grameen Phone and Ayub Bachchu were called on stage to give away the prizes. All the finalists received a DRockstar crest, a certificate from Channel I and a gift hamper sponsored by Djuice which consists of an I-pod among other things. 
In Bourgeois Gentleman, on the other hand, Moliere fingers at the age when wealthy people used to indulge themselves in art just to show off their wealth a play much enjoyed by the audience due to the wacky humor of the gentleman, Monsieur Jourdian.