A special performance by child and adolescent artists, titled “Ami Hobo Sokal Belar Pakhi,” was held on Tuesday evening, August 25, at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka. Chief guest Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, described as an adviser to the prime minister and acting secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, called for encouraging children to practise the songs and poetry of Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Rizvi said greater engagement with Nazrul’s works could nurture children’s interest in arts and literature and help keep them away from drugs. He also said martyred president Ziaur Rahman had given Kazi Nazrul Islam state recognition as the national poet, and urged the academy to provide opportunities for children and adolescents at every event. Academy Director General and poet Sheikh Rezauddin Ahmed said a non-communal Bangladesh should be built without discrimination among children.

The programme featured 50 young performers in opening songs, dance and recitation. Performances included artists with special needs, while an indigenous children’s group presented a collective dance under Fifa Chakma’s direction. The event concluded with a collective rendition of “Moner Rong Legeche.”