::: Star Insight :::

From Bogra and Rangpur

On the Road

A Report from Star Insight

Celebrating Life 2009 kicked off its 12 District Festival Tour in Bogra and Rangpur on the 20th and 21st of May respectively. Featuring a star-studded cast of performers- Fahmida Nabi, Tazeen Ahmed and members of the Spondon Nrityashilpi Goshthi, the tour will showcase winning lyrics, photographs and film entries from Celebrating Life 2008.

The Bogra festival was inaugurated with speeches by Fahim Munaim, Managing Editor of The Daily Star, Shah Masud Imam, Head of Corporate Affairs, South Asia and the unveiling of a photo exhibition, featuring photographs from Celebrating Life 2008. In the evening, Bogra was treated to glittering performances by Fahmida Nabi and her band, and Spondon Nrityashilpi Goshthi.

The evening concert, held at Titu Milonayaton, drew an unprecedented number of people, according to our Bogra correspondent. The evening was hosted by Tazeen Ahmed and Rafi Hossain; their lively and interactive presentations got the already enthusiastic crowd even more excited. First came performances by Spondon Nrityashilpi Goshthi, featuring dances choreographed to the tunes of the Celebrating Life 2008 audio album. The evocative, expressive performances were extremely well-received by the audience. This was followed by performances by local youths who sang tunes made popular by Fahmida Nabi, with each performance being greeted by a big round of applause from the audience.

This was followed by a non-voluntary intermission of an hour due to a power outage. But despite this, and the heat, the auditorium remained packed, and the loudest round of applause was reserved for the entrance of Fahmida Nabi, who wowed the crowd with songs from Celebrating Life as well as from her own repertoire. The night came to an end by giving centre-stage to Fahmida Nabi's band.

The Rangpur concert was held at the Rangpur Zilla School Auditorium. It followed much the same script, but added the attraction of performances from Close Up stars Bappi, Leon and Parul, all residents of Rangpur.

When asked about the Celebrating Life Festival Tour initiative, Rafi Hossain, Festival Coordinator, said, "When we first organised Celebrating Life in 2008, we were absolutely awestruck by the sheer amount of talent we had uncovered, and we wanted to make sure that the nation stood up and took notice of what its sons and daughters could achieve if given the right platform. That is the reason behind the Celebrating Life Festival Tour. We are very proud to be able to present this to you as we feel that they show off the potential and talent that can found in abundance in this nation.”

Celebrating Life is a composite competition, jointly organised by the Daily Star and Standard Chartered, and is inviting film, photographs and lyrics. This year's theme of the film and photography sections is "Celebrating Womanhood", and the theme for the lyrics section is "Maa" (Mother). Full details about the competition can be found at www.celebratinglifebd.com. Last date of submission is 30th June 09.