Staff Reporter –
The colourful and artistic Bengali culture will manifest itself in dance and music forms at a festival scheduled to be held at Playhouse Theatre, Glendale Road, Gleneden (Auckland) on Sunday, July 5, 2015.
Tapas Mandal, an artiste known for his talent and showmanship, is organising the event under the ‘Bhabna New Zealand,’ banner, a not-for-profit organisation established 12 years ago to promote the ethnic Bengali arts and culture among the Bengali-speaking population.
“We believe that our attempts in bringing glimpses of Indian Bengali culture to New Zealand will help in strengthening the bond between ethnic groups and create better understanding of traditions and beliefs,” he said.
Dream Ballet
According to Mr Mandal, the Cultural Festival will comprise two phases, the first of which will consist of a Ballet under the ‘Dream Theme.’
The second phase will dwell on the modern version of Bengali music under the title, ‘Ganey Ganey Path Chola.’
According to Mr Mandal, the Ballet will feature a succession of images, ideas, emotions and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.
“Based on this theme, our Ballet will be in the composition of modern Bengali songs and music. Our participants in this phase are youngsters between the ages of five and thirty-five years drawn from a number of Bengali and non-Bengali organisations,” he said.
Music genre
Bengali music accounts for a long tradition of religious and secular song-writers covering at least a millennium. Composed with lyrics in the Bengali language, Bengali music also spans a wide variety of styles.
“Ganey Ganey Path Chola (Walking the way with the music) will feature ‘Adhunik Sangeet,’ representing pre-Independent India. This second phase will pay a tribute to legendary Bengali singers from West Bengal and Bangladesh,” he said.
