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This year’s Bhawaiya Padak went to three renowned personalities for their superb contribution in upholding this popular genre of folk music.
   The recipients are renowned lyricist of Bhawaiya music Abdul Karim (posthumous), noted Bhawaiya singer, lyricist, composer and researcher Hafizur Rahman and an expatriate organiser of Bhawaiya music Nur Islam Barshan.
   Marking the second founding anniversary of the Bhawaiya Angan, the organiser handed away the prestigious award through a function on Sunday, held at the Shaukat Osman Auditorium of the Central Public Library in the city. The organisation began honouring eminent people in the field from 2005.
   The organisation brought out a colourful rally in the morning and held a seminar on Bhawaiya song at 3:00pm on the day. Renowned folklorist Ashraf Siddique was present as chief discussant.
   Former president Hossain Mohammad Ershad was present as chief guest and handed over the medals while the widow of Abdul Karim, Amina Karim, was present as special guest. The event was chaired over by Salma Mustafiz.
   The speakers stressed the need to preserve the Bhawaiya song. They also told the house that there are many singers who have been rendering the songs in a distorted form.
   ‘To me, Bhawaiya song is important in many ways. Bhawaiya is my identity, philosophy of my life, history of my region. This form has been mixed with my blood’ said Ershad.
   ‘This genre of folk song upholds the tradition of greater Rangpur. Some distortions have been done with the lyrics. I hope, this distortion will be soon corrected. Because, it is an identity of the people of the area’, he added.
   ‘We often hear music with heavy instruments but are more deeply moved when we hear the flute played by a Rakhal (cowherd-boy). ‘I will try my best to preserve the heritage of the region till my death’, he assured the enthusiastic Bhawaiya people.
   He hopes that Bhawaiya will be alive in the hearts of the people of the region.
   ‘We need a Bhawaiya Bhaban so that we can preserve all the works of the eminent artistes of this form of music, said Musatfizur Rahman of the organisation. ‘I have been working on Bhawaiya music for the last 16 years’, he added.
   ‘I will soon publish a compilation of the lyrics of my husband’, said Amina Karim. She also recalled some fond memories in this regard.
   Later, the artistes of the organisation enthralled the audience rendering Bhawaiya songs.

A five-day photography exhibition by Firoz Chowdhury and his daughter Afifa Faiza Chowdhury, ended at the Zainul Gallery of the Institute of Fine Arts of the Dhaka University on Monday.
   Professor Anisuzzaman inaugurated the show on April 5 while renowned photographers including Rashid Talukdar and Pavel Rahman were present.
   A total of 55 images were on display. Of them, Afifa, a student of KG, displayed 20 photographs.
   The works of Afifa drew attention of the viewers. ‘I took a photo of world renowned football player Zinedan Zidan during his visit in Bangladesh. I went to the hotel with my father and took the snap of the footballer’ said Afifa.
   ‘I love to take photos of various nature’, said Firoz.