A song for every season: Adity Mohsin serenades Dhaka with Tagore's eternal melodies
An enchanting show at Sheraton Dhaka saw Adity Mohsin, Dahlia Ahmed and Warda Rihab honour Tagore’s timeless artistry with music, poetry and dance in a luminous cultural celebration
Rabindranath Tagore is so immensely versatile that it often feels as though he composed an inner soundtrack for human existence itself — a song for every emotion we feel, every situation we navigate, and every moment we hold dear.
Summer, monsoon, winter — he captured them all, offering a melody for every changing leaf in the season and every subtle shift in the human heart.
To celebrate the arrival of this chilly winter in Dhaka's air, Adity Mohsin illuminated the evening at Sheraton Dhaka's grand ballroom on Monday.
Titled 'Aaloker Ei Jharna-dharay: The Eternal Illumination', the event also featured two other distinguished artistes — reciter Dahlia Ahmed and dancer Warda Rihab.
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The programme was a joint initiative of HSBC Bank Bangladesh and the Embassy of Sweden, a country with a special connection to Tagore, as the one that first recognised him as an Asian Nobel laureate in 1913.
The evening began with HE Ambassador Nicolas Weeks. In his opening remarks, he highlighted Tagore's impact on contemporary world literature.
Md Mahbub ur Rahman, CEO of HSBC Bangladesh, followed immediately after, sharing his reflections on Tagore and how his works continue to inspire us more than a century later.
Adity Mohsin and Dahlia Ahmed then took the stage together. Dahlia, a seasoned recitation artiste with decades of experience and a shelf of awards, opened with Tagore's iconic poem Nirjharer Swapnobhongo. After a few lines in Bangla, she shifted seamlessly to its English translation. The audience leaned in, the room settling into a gentle stillness as she wove the lines together.
After the poem ended, Adity began with Anondodhara — an all-time favourite. She performed the song a couple of years ago for Coke Studio with Bappa Mazumder.
Taken from Puja Porjay, the song speaks of realising the eternal joy of the divine. Here, Tagore urges human beings to rise above selfishness and indifference, and to fill life's emptiness with love.
Dahlia returned next with a piece from Prem Porjay — Tumi Ektu Kebol Boshte Diyo. Accompanied by the soft melodic notes of the esraj, her voice carried the yearning embedded in the lyrics straight into the hearts of the audience. After her recitation, Adity rendered the same lyrics as a song, creating a delicate harmony between spoken word and melody.
Adity mesmerised the audience once again with Sedin Dujone Dulechhinu Bone, another romantic classic. The song evokes the tender reminiscence of moments shared between lovers. Her voice captured both the romance and the lingering ache that only a lover's heart can hold.
Dahlia's profound voice soared when she began reciting Sobola, a woman's impassioned plea to Fate for the right to steer her own destiny. She calls for fearlessness, casting aside meekness and shame, and demands equality in love — a space where she can express her unspoken self with strength and clarity.
After a few more recitations and songs, the duo neared the end of their performance. Dahlia concluded with Chitto Jetha Bhoyshunno, one of Tagore's most celebrated poems, envisioning a nation whose people are fearless, their heads held high.
Adity's final piece followed — the patriotic Sharthok Jonom Aamar, a heartfelt expression of gratitude and love for being born into this land.
Through vivid imagery of nature — the moon, flowers, and light — Tagore evokes the wonder, belonging, and intimate comfort found in the embrace of the motherland.
The final attraction of the evening came with Warda Rihab and her troupe. Besides her global acclaim for Manipuri dance, Warda is also an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Dhaka.
She and her co-artistes performed to three Tagore songs — Akash Bhora Shurjo Tara, Aaji Bangladesher Hridoy Hotey, and Aaloker Ei Jharna-dharay.
With every gesture and movement, they brought Tagore's poetry to life. The synchronised blend of rhythm, grace, and emotion unfolded seamlessly. The audience was left mesmerised as the dancers transformed the melodies into a vivid, visual celebration.
