Today (October 17) marks the 134th death anniversary of Baul legend Fakir Lalon Shah. To commemorate the occasion, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy has organized a three-day event.

In a press release on Tuesday, Shilpakala Academy announced that the event would begin today at 6:00 pm with a performance titled “Ashasindhu Tire” at the National Theatre Hall. Artists Arup Rahee and Zahura Fakirani will present Lalon’s philosophy through songs and discourses.

Dr. Syed Jamil Ahmed, Director General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, will preside over the event. Sharmeen Murshid, Adviser to the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, will be the chief guest. Mustafa Zaman, Director of the Fine Arts Department at Shilpakala Academy, will deliver the welcome address.

On the second day of the festival, tomorrow at 6:00 pm, a Sadhumela titled “Manush Bhojle Shonar Manush Hobi” will be held at the academy’s Nandan Mancha.

Mehjabeen Rahman, Director of the Music, Dance, and Recitation Department at Shilpakala Academy, will give the welcome address, and Dr. Syed Jamil Ahmed will preside over the session.

The third and final day of the event will take place on October 19, starting at 4:00 pm in the Seminar Room of the National Theatre Hall. The first session will feature a discussion on “The Question of National Identity and the Politics of Baul-Fakir Performance.” Abdul Halim Chanchal, Director of the Production Department at Shilpakala Academy, will deliver the welcome address.

The event will be presided over by Dr. Syed Jamil Ahmed, renowned theater personality and Director General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.