After five years of togetherness, a group of expatriate Bengali music enthusiasts in Boston presented yet another Amra Kojon show at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium on May 24, 2008, in celebration of its fifth anniversary and the Bengali New Year 1415, hosted by the Bangladesh Student's Association of MIT (MIT-BSA). The gracious presence of legendary movie actress Kobori Sarwar enhanced the significance of this new musical endeavor of Amra Kojon titled “Nostalgic Tunes from the Silver Screen”.

Presenting classic songs from Bengali movies down the ages, the sold-out show was watched by about 1,200 people, including folks who traveled from Ohio, California, Toronto London, and Bangladesh.

A confluence of vibrant colors and emotions featuring songs and dances from the Bengali silver screen, the performance involved about 200 participants including children, spanning more than four decades of music from the movies.
“Nostalgic Tunes from the Silver Screen” created new musical milestone as Amra Kojon honored great movie classics from the beginnings of Bangladeshi cinema to modern day popular movie songs. The movies of 1960s like “Surjo Snaan”, and “Etotuku Asha” represented struggles and joys of the middle-class life while the latter part of the decade focused on movies based on folklore and fairytales like “Shaat Bhai Chompa” and “Roopban”. This segment was marked by familiar songs like “Pothe pothe dilam choraiya”, “Shonen shonen jahapona”, “Tumi ki dekhecho kobhu”, and “Akasher haate ache”.

The intense political turmoil of the 1970s and the nation’s struggle for freedom against the oppression of the then-West Pakistani military junta were reflected by movies like “Jibon Theke Neya” and “Alor Michhil”. As the decade progressed, films returned to more depictions of everyday life.  Songs like “Ei prithibire porey”, “Ore neel doriya”, “Osru diye lekha”, “E khacha bhangbo ami kemon kore”, “Naani go naani”, “Megh thom thom kore” and “Ektush khani dekho” thus represented this era through a wide range of acts and dances performed by the Amra Kojon performers.

From the 1980’s on, Bangladeshi movies began to be more influenced by international trends. At the same time, the film industry also experienced stiff competition from abroad. As a result, there was a big shift in the Bengali film industry to cater to the mass commercial appeal.  The combination of hip beats and classical tunes enhanced with Western outfits side-by-side with the traditional sarees represented the fusion of East and West. Amra Kojon aptly portrayed this in their performance of songs like “Dukkho take dilam chuti” from “Daruchini Deep”.

A children’s section presented songs like “Amader deshta swapnopuri” from “Chutir Ghonta” and “Emon moja hoyna” from “Shutorang,” taking the audience back to the children’s world of fantasy and folklore.

Amra Kojon concluded the musical evening with “Aamaro deshero matiro gondhe bhore ache sharaa mon” where dancers wore bright red and green sarees representing the national flag of Bangladesh. The unique coordination of the chorus and the instruments created a synchronized melody to express love and respect towards the motherland.

All in all, the four hour long musical event dazzled the audience with a wide range of acts including a vibrant chorus group that was complimented with acting of superb quality and dance moves depicting absolute brilliance.  The performance was further enriched by stage décor in conjunction with colorful attires of performers blended with an unparallel group of musicians playing the instruments. The brief glimpse of the movie clips served to pay tribute to the Bengal’s great movie icons and the Bangladeshi film industry while took the audience back down memory lane once again.

The entire show was presented to the audience in Bengali, English and American sign language. Art displays in the lobby represented paintings depicting Bangladeshi culture and heritage.  Bengali TV channel ATN Bangla was the media partner of the event.

Amra Kojon’s first show in February 2003 “Thousand Years of Bangla Music”, was a celebration of 1,000 years of Bangla music, a first-time for any Bengali or South-Asian performance of its kind in North America. The show was also sold out and was applauded by media and Bengali celebrities both at home and abroad.

Many more shows followed soon after including “Music is The Language of Our Conviction”, “The Price We Paid for Our Bengal” in 2006, and the trans-Atlantic show “Musical Nomads” in London in 2007, giving music enthusiasts a rare glimpse into Bengali culture and music.

Background

Amra Kojon (www.amrakojon.org) meaning "a few of us," is a Bengali cultural group dedicated to the promotion of music, culture and heritage. It is formed by a group of amateur music enthusiasts who came together five years ago with the dream of uniting friends and family from all around the world through their love of music.  

On Feb. 9, 2003, Amra Kojon showcased 1,000 years of Bengali music tradition, performed by more than 100 music-lovers singing a filled Kresge auditorium at MIT, Cambridge, MA. The unique endeavor was endearingly termed “A Festival of Friends” in the media and became the first ever successful attempt at putting aside all individual differences of nationality, political ideologies, ethnicity or religion, and coming together to present the Bengali language, culture, and heritage, from one common platform, united by their passion – a love of Bengali music.

At a time when Bangladesh and W. Bengal (India) rarely made international news unless in cases of devastating human tragedy, we were grateful to have received extensive coverage in local and Bangladeshi media – from Voice of America and Boston Globe to the Cambridge Chronicle and India

New England News.  Much like other news articles published on this event, The Boston Globe cited the Amra Kojon concert as their first opportunity to present Bengal in a positive context that did not involve floods, poverty, or suffering.  In essence, that was exactly what we had set forth to do: to share our Bengali traditions, culture and heritage in all its splendor and glory.

Contacts

Mohitosh Talukder Taposh
Participant and Organizer
amrakojon@gmail.com
401-743-0685

Pusha Karim
Participant and Media Coordinator
pusha.karim@gmail.com
508-414-4648

Web address:
Amra Kojon: a few of us
Website: www.amrakojon.org
Blog: http://amrakojon.blogspot.com/
MIT BSA: www.web.mit.edu/bangladesh

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