Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Chhayanaut, a leading cultural organisation in the country, a two-day programme is starting today. The programme will not only celebrate the legacy of this historical institution, but also give an opportunity to the former students to get together and reminisce their time at Chhayanaut.
The celebration will open with a colourful procession to be carried out by past and present students of the institute from the premises of Chhayanaut at 5pm today. After the procession, the group will convene in the auditorium for the second part of the program. Distinguished guests will give speeches highlighting the contributions of the late artists and paying homage to them. This will be followed by a musical event consisting of performances from past and present students and teachers of Chhayanaut. On Saturday, a musical event will be held again from 6pm.
In 1961, a handful of visionary people started an endeavour that they envisioned will not only preserve the heritage of Bangla music, but also contribute in its evolution and that was the genesis of Chhayanaut Shangeet Bidyatan. However, the scope of Chhayanaut is not just limited to music. When asked how he would define Chhayanaut, Khairul Anam Shakil, general secretary of the organisation said: “Chhayanaut is not just a music school, it is rather a movement to spread the true Bangla culture and heritage as a whole.”
His words could not to be truer. Chhayanaut was initially launched as a cultural organisation which started a music school in 1963 named “Chhayanaut Shangeet Bidyatan” that specifically garnered towards nurturing young talents and support the torchbearers of Bangla music. During this half century, it has trained over 50 thousand students in different disciples. Currently it boasts a student body of 4000, enrolled in the different curriculums under Bangla songs (Nazrul, Tagore and Folk), classical vocal, classical instrumental and classical dance.
