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Praised for his ‘breathtaking sensitivity,’ ‘tonal beauty,’ and ‘fluent, facile artistry’ with the bamboo flute, Murtuza Kabir Murad regularly performs as soloist. Applauded by critics and audiences for his profoundly sensitive interpretations and stellar technique, Murad has been described as one of the emerging flute artists of the country’s contemporary music scene.
   What makes his work truly unique is Murad’s ability to reach deep within his spirit, project pure charisma and connect with his audiences. Listeners forget their problems and feel uplifted, rejuvenated and inspired. The beautiful vocal quality of his flute paints the rich life experience that Murad generously shares with the world.
   It’s always interesting to find out how musicians get started. ‘When I was young, I profoundly believed that I could attract beautiful fairies if I played the flute well,’ says Murad. ‘In fact, it was that urge which drove me to establish myself as a flutist. My interest in the instrument, and in music, developed quickly and, of course, continues. It wasn’t long before I started feeling an almost religious connection with music; so it was never difficult to get myself to pick up the flute and practice.’
   Despite his zeal, Murad’s initial instrument of choice was actually not the flute at all. ‘Instead of learning the flute I started taking tabla lesson from Khandakar Khairul Anam in 1985. Finally in 1987, I formally took tutelage from Ustad Alauddin and since then I have devoted myself to the tunes of the flute,’ says Murad.
   This magician of wind deeply recommends that, for any kind of music, one must have an entrenched knowledge of the taal (rhythm) of the tabla. ‘Then I went to Shamsur Rahman to learn shanai and flute in 1990,’ he informs.
   ‘While learning this art, I got lost at one point and received negative comments from senior flutists. For instance, one eminent player once said to me that my “fingering” is not good, which frustrated me severely,’ recalls Murad. ‘But when I met the legendary flutist Hariprasad Chaurasia in ‘97 during his visit to Bangladesh, my life changed; one comment from him was enough. When I asked him about my fingering, which is a very important thing in playing flute, Guruji’s prompt answer was “Beta bilkul sahi hai!” ( It’s absolutely perfect) and he advised me to make my own flute, practise a lot and listen to a lot of classical vocals and instrumentals,’ he adds.
   And that was the turning point of Murad’s life. Since then he started making bamboo flutes for himself as well as for his students. ‘I was so moved, that I immediately bought a truck full of bamboos from Chittagong and started making my own flute. After so many years, I can claim myself as a successful, tuneful flute-maker too,’ says Murad with a smile.
   ‘I endlessly play classical ragas and folk tunes and listen to old records; developing a sense of music is or can be very much like spoken language. My compositions of folk tunes with a blend of ragas are widely appreciated by the audience,’ informs Murad. For instance, his masterful rendition of Hason Raja’s ‘Nisha lagilorey’ in raga Pilu, Lalon’s ‘Ami apar hoye boshey achhi’ in raga Bhairabi, or the Bhatiyaly tune ‘thaktey par ghatatey’ in raga Khambaj, can easily boggles one’s mind.
   ‘Learning how to be a good musician and a great artist is something that never ends. I suppose that when I stop believing that, I’ll be gone,’ concludes Murad.

One won’t enjoy it the second time around, nor lose much if he or she is late for the show. ‘Raarang’ is about the long history of the Santals, beginning in 1940 and continuing till the death of Alfred Soren, the Santal leader who was murdered by land-grabbers in the village of Vimpur in Naogaon on August 18, 2000.
   The character of Alfred, the protagonist, was very lacklustre and meek. There are pros and cons about the production, but overall, the play somehow failed to build up to a rewarding climax. In its 26th show at the Shilpakala Academy on December 11, the last day of the theatre festival, the play seemed to have lost its spirit.
   The play, presented in the arena of the Experimental Theatre Hall of the Bangaldesh Shilpakala Academy begins with a group of Santals being displaced by Bishwambhar (Shamim Zaman) from Tanor, now in Chanpainawabganj, to Vimpur. Bishwambhar takes advantage of the Santals and plans to use them (as free labour) to cultivate a piece of wasteland, promising them land in the new settlement in exchange of their labour.
   The playwright and director Mamunur Rashid presents the pains, pangs and sufferings of the Santal aborigines in Bangladesh. He gives references to the heroes of ‘Santal Hul’, commonly known as the Santal Revolt led by Sidu, Kanhu, Chand and others against British tyranny in 1855. He also refers to Ila Mitra, the Queen of Nachol, who fought for the rights of the Santals against land-grabbers.
   The play predominately presents the Santals’ struggle for their ancestral lands. Their centuries-old traditions, especially the festivals, were absent in the play. Though Janguru (Sanjib) mentions the ‘karam puja’, the Santals’ prime festival, the audience was deprived of any festivity.
   The portrayal of the Bengalis in the play was not well presented. The roles, including Mamunur Rashid as the Barrister, seemed lifeless. At other times there was much over acting and unnecessary slapstick routines; not expected of a Mamunur Rahman production. But the performances of the Santals were comparatively better; Joyraj as Punya Chandra Marandi was excellent. Tamalika as Shyamali Tudu, unfortunately, was not her usual and seemed weary.
   However, the Santal songs and the choreography were very enjoyable. The sound of a train made by clapping, and the cast mimicking birds and animals were delightful. The growth of Alfred was choreographed beautifully whereas the scene of the ‘nam-soi’ (signature) of the Santals with Bishwambhar and Godai (Apple) was tedious.
   Costume design was praiseworthy, particularly for the Santals.

Inspired by the natural elements of water, earth and wind, Rokeya Sultana represents the desires of women who want to break the shackles of patriarchal society through her paintings. And in the life of this artist and her work, filmmaker Fahmida Akhtar has found the motivation to make a documentary titled ‘Shudurer Pathik’ with assistance from the Bengal Foundation.
   Based on the art exhibition ‘Awdhorar Shopnokatha’ held in May this year, the documentary tells the stories of Rokeya’s art, to her fans. The exhibition that lasted for a fortnight had paintings depicting women in our society, facing societal obligations and stigmas attached to their existence.
   Selina Hussien, chief guest at the opening of the video documentary, lauded such a venture which was designed to appreciate the artist’s works. ‘Art is for life but life is not for art… Rokeya has fantastically achieved this target through her works; the multi-dimensional imageries we see in her works — let it be a multi-breasted woman or women in the surrealistic world — everything surpasses the two-dimensional world of canvass and reaches the realm
   of life’, said the renowned novelist.
   Hussein also complimented on the quality of the video documentary. She said, ‘Simple yet definite in its view-points, the documentary runs smoothly.’
   The premiere of the twenty-eight minute video documentary was enjoyed by viewers at the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts on December 11.

After three long years of courtship, rumours are that Aishwarya Rai and Vivek Oberoi have decided to call it a day and tread their separate paths.
   Vivek, who seldom left any opportunity to proclaim his love for the most beautiful lady on the earth, is apparently heartbroken.
   Reveals a close friend to the couple, “The main reason for their spilt is Aishwarya's continuous refusal to acknowledge their relationship publicly. Moreover, Ash's mother never liked him. They didn't like Vivek professed his love for Ash on several TV shows.”
   Some even claim that Rais were looking at the matrimony rather sooner than later while Vivek wanted to concentrate solely on his career for some more time.
   — bollywoodnews.com

Foggy morning, chilly day, gloomy sky — all you want is comfort, heat and warmth. It’s winter. The clothing which keeps you warm must also make you look attractive, which ‘Megh Medur’ by Prabartana does. The collection will be launched by the first day of the Bengali month ‘Poush’ on December 15.
   For this autumn-winter season the store is launching some basic colours like off-white and black with shades that will go well with all occasions. This time we have focused less on colour and more on patterns and designs. There are kurtas, short punjabis a-line fitted skirts with matching tops for ladies and short fotuas, punjabis and jackets for men. Silk is being used generously for this collection for which the price will be a bit higher. The prices are: ladies’ kurta, Tk 1050 - 1200; silk three pieces, Tk 1750 - 2795; men’s silk fatua, Tk 650 - 850; men’s silk panjabi, Tk 1085 - 1200; men’s silk–cotton blended jacket, Tk 1200 - 1800 and shawl (khadi), Tk 250 - 265. - Press Release

Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) is a happily married family man. Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) is a smooth-talking bachelor. Both are cops in the narcotics division of the Miami police department. When $100 million dollars worth of seized heroin is stolen from their police station, the mismatched duo are forced to switch identities to placate the only witness (Tea Leoni) who can lead them to the drug lord responsible and save their jobs before the FBI closes them down. This explosion-heavy, chase-filled, gun-smoking action comedy is directed by Michael Bay (ARMAGEDDON, PEARL HARBOR) and features comedic odd-couple-style bantering between the aptly paired Smith and Lawrence.
   Bad Boys
   HBO 9:30pm
   Starring
   Will Smith, Martin Lawrence
   Genre
   Action