On March 7, 1971, the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered a historic speech at the Ramna Race Course Maidan to a gathering of over two million people. His monumental speech fuelled the nationalistic spirits of several Bengalis, propelling them to start their nine month struggle for freedom.
45 years down the line, Bangabandhu’s inspirational wartime speech still rouses the same patriotism and the same zeal in today’s youth, reminding them of the battles we’ve won and the difficulties we’ve overcome. Young Bangla, a national platform of young achievers and leaders, has once again celebrated that historical speech in the form of a youth centric concert held at Dhaka’s Army Stadium grounds on March 7. As an initiative that engages the youth and helps them identify and bring about policy changes to facilitate and build a better Bangladesh, Young Bangla’s concert drew crowds of up to 30,000 youths. This year’s star studded line up featured Warfaze, Shironamhin, Arbovirus, Cryptic Fate, Lalon, Nemesis and Shunno as they performed both their own numbers as well as their own renditions of classic Bengali songs.
Joy and Bobby sing along
Sajib Wajed Joy is better known as a politician and an IT expert. Little did we know that the politician is also an avid music fan. Seated next to his cousin Radwan Mujib Siddiq and his children, Joy was seen thoroughly enjoying his time at the concert. When Nemesis was performing “Dhono Dhanno Pushpo Bhora,” the duo sang along, even raising their hands in the air, swaying their arms along with the rest of the audience.
Tech savvy Minister
Zunaid Ahmed Palak, State Minister for ICT, was spotted taking selfies which were later posted on social media. However, the selfie session was short lived as he too, began to find himself engrossed in the music, playing air drums to one song he seemed to enjoy more than the others. Tarana Halim, State Minister of Post and Telecommunications Division was also spotted at the concert.
Fiery display of nationalistic spirit
From Bangladesh cricket jerseys, to faces painted with the national flag to outfits in the shades of red and green – the nationalistic spirit was seen at every stand. Every time a band performed a patriotic number, the crowds were moved, with many becoming emotional. While some sang along to choruses, others swayed and grooved to the beats.
Back to the roots
Bands that usually perform rock numbers took a different route this time around. Along with performing their own songs, they also sang their renditions of old Tagore favourites – much to the audience’s surprise and anticipation. Not only were these songs thoroughly appreciated by the young crowd, but it was clearly evident that today’s youth isn’t too far off from their roots. They truly loved and enjoyed the Bangla tunes through and through.
