বাংলায় পড়ুন
Kolkata witnessed the second day of the World Peace Music Festival ‘Sur Jahan’ on 3rd February 2018. The Festival at Mohor Kunj had handicraft stalls on the ground from 11am - 9pm. Over the years, Sur Jahan evolved as one of the main music festivals in Kolkata. Cultural exchange is the main motive behind this initiative taken by ‘banglanatok dot com’ which is a UN recognised social enterprise based out of Kolkata which specializes in culture and development.
Special workshops were held on the second day in three slots, 11am-12pm, 12-1 pm, 1-2pm. The first workshop was taken up by the members of the Polish band Muzykanci and its members in the first slot from 11am - 12pm followed by the folks of Bengal which is an initiative from banglanatok dot com itself to promote the various traditions of Bengal as well as create opportunities for upcoming folk music enthusiasts in the second slot 12-1pm. Members Debalina Bhowmick, Nazrul Islam, Pranesh Som, Arpita Chakraborty, Abhinash Roy, Arpan Thakur Chakraborty, SajibSarkar and Dipankar Roy Dakua were the ones who conducted the workshop. The workshop for the day ended with Hungarian folk band Muzsikas who perform folk music for four decades now. The members of the band, have their own versatility, music skills and collaborate with many artists and create music of genres like, klezmer, classical, world music, jazz etc. The band combines the traditional and typical folk music of Hungary along with other various classical compositions like Kurtag, Bartok, Kodaly etc. The final workshop for the day was taken by its members, Daniel Hamar, Mihaly Sipos, Peter Eri, Laszlo Porteleki, Istvan Berecz and Hanga Kacso.
The workshops were followed by concerts divided into three slots of 6-7pm, 7-8pm and 8-9pm. Bangla Qawwali was the first to take the stage. The band took the crowd to a journey from Fakiri and Bangla Qawwali to traditional baul as well as songs of the city itself. Band Member Arijit presented the ‘Puratoni’ style of Kolkata’s music. Gourbhanga Fakirs are known as bearers of Fakiri Qawwali. The members of the band Arman Fakir, Akkas Fakir, Babu Fakir, ArijitChakraborty, Kamanurjaman Karikar, Gopen Debnath and Sandip Ganguli set the stage on fire with their unique style of presenting Bangla Qawwali and Baul Fakiri. From 7-8pm was the all-woman gang from various parts of Finland with their members, Sini Koskelainen, Piia Sailynoja, Johanna Kyykoski and VenlaIlona Blom. These vibrant musicians had formed their group back in 2012 ad since then they have been composing, singing and performing together all around the world. From South Asian Folk to American hip hop, these women take inspiration from all the forms. Apart from performing in various concerts like Vienna’s voice mania 2015 and Budapest A Cappella Festival 2016 they performed exclusively in Womex 2016. Cheikh Lo from Senegal had been allotted the third slot. Cheikh Lo’s unique and high-pitched voice was a treat to all music lovers. Tony Allen had his special afro beat baseline during the whole performance. Hailing from West Africa their music is a mixture of soukous influences, reggae and mbala. Cheikh Lo was awarded with Womex Lifetime Award in 2015. The band and its members Cheikh Lo, Cisse Alassane, Gueye Pape Magaye, Mbaye Khadimou Rassoul, Niang Moutar and Zinsou Wilfrid Ambroise took the audience to a different world altogether.
Mohor Kunj poured with audience from all walks of life. Their interest and love for music united them in ways which no other art form can.
