A musical reminder of our plurality
With music, dancing and mime as a medium of protest, this concert showcased how students and youths alike present a solid ground against violence
As soon as evening touched the sky of TSC, University of Dhaka, on Friday, the grounds started getting crowded and bustling with people., cheering and singing together.
This is usually a very common scenario at TSC but due to the Covid-10 pandemic, this had been missing for a while.
However, when a TSC concert finally took place, it was barely an occasion to celebrate. Instead, it was a collective cultural stand against the ongoing communal violence throughout the country.
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The culturally active students of the University of Dhaka organised 'Concert Against Violence' on 22 October at 3:00 PM.
Set on the premises of Anti Terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture, this open-air concert started to get crowded gradually and the change in the ambience was visible.
With music, dancing and mime as a medium of protest, this concert showcased how students and youths alike present a solid ground against violence.
Beginning with the National Anthem of Bangladesh, the concert featured performances by solo and aspiring artists such as Aninda, Tanmoy, Sahos Mustafiz, Shibli Hasan Joy and Tabib and Gullyboy Rana.
Later, the campus-based bands illuminated the stage with their songs. Gaankobi, Bunoful, Kaal and Krishnopokkho created a mindful atmosphere, until headlining bands took over.
In the meantime, Joy Shahriar sang 'Shotti Bolchi', one of his famous tracks, for the crowd. Dhaka University Mime Action (DUMA) also kept the crowd enthralled with their performance.
As night approached, folk-based band 'Gaan Poka' took over the stage with their track 'Bondhu Tumi Asho Na'.
From then on, the crowd could barely contain their excitement for the bands scheduled to play next.
The most anticipated band, no doubt, was Shironamhin. They started their performance with 'Cafeteria Periye' before moving on to 'Pakhi' and 'Bondho Janala'.
The audience received the band with so much warmth that the band had to pause playing and ask for the crowd to cooperate. Once the crowd was under control, Shironamhin started playing 'Ei Obelay' and 'Abar Hashimukh'.
Hundreds of voices started to sing along and the ambience immediately turned surreal.
Once Shironamhin finished their performance, Meghdol stepped up to fuel the fire. They started their performance with 'Nirbaan' and continued with 'Crusade', 'Om' and 'Muthophone'.
Finally, when they started playing their last song, and perhaps the most famous one, 'Esho Amar Shohore', the crowd once again melted into a pool of melody and emotions.
While Meghdol played, the ambience at TSC was transformed into an otherworldly beauty - away from the relentlessness of the metropolis.
After Meghdol's performance, Bangla Five appeared on stage. Finally, Shohojia called it a night.
"We didn't expect such a huge crowd. We are flattered by the response. Through this concert, we want to ensure that our youth don't engage in vandalism and violence. These are our youth who love culture and stand together against any injustice," the vocalist of Krishnopokkho and Tareq Hossain, one of the organisers, remarked in unison.
They added, "While enjoying the event, we must all empathise with the plight of all those people who suffered a lot lately. Therefore, we are here to showcase our harmony and the mindful presence of coexistence."
'Concert Against Violence' was a free-for-all event. The students of the University of Dhaka voluntarily arranged and pulled off the concert without any commercial benefit. Even the musicians and bands also participated voluntarily for the greater cause.
Najib Hayder, an organising member, said, "We have not only symbolically expressed our stance against violence, but we have also gathered funds from the audience. We will distribute this to those in need."
