The three-day ‘Charyapada Revival Festival 2025’ began yesterday at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, celebrating a decade of efforts to revive and popularise the ancient Charyapada songs. Organised by the Bhavanagar Foundation, the festival will run from July 9 to 11, featuring local and international artists, researchers, and devotees.
This is the second edition of the festival, aiming to reconnect people with the spiritual and historical significance of Charyapada — the earliest known collection of Bengali mystical songs. The opening ceremony was graced by Fakir Deborah Jannat, a Lalon devotee from France, who attended as the chief guest. Among the special guests were Dr. Keith E. Kantu, a researcher and professor from Harvard University, USA; Sadhika Srijoni Tania, a Charyapada vocal trainer from Bangladesh; and artist Babul Akter Bacchu from the Paharpur Buddhist Monastery. Mikhail Idris, a learning book designer, delivered the welcome speech.
The festivities began at Suhrawardy Udyan with a Charyapada singing session performed by devotional singers from different parts of the country. A colourful procession later moved to the Engineers’ Institute, joined by local and international guests. The main inaugural event at Shilpakala Academy’s seminar hall started at 5:45 PM, followed by a Charyapada performance at the studio theater at 7 PM.
On July 10, a special music seminar titled ‘The Legacy of Charya Practice: Atish-Chaitanya-Lalon’ will take place from 3:30 PM to 8 PM. The final day, July 11, will feature a Charyapada song training workshop from 3 PM to 5 PM, followed by a closing ceremony at 6 PM. Poet Farhad Mazhar, Dr. Sukomal Barua, and Dr. Jinbodhi Bhikkhu will deliver closing remarks before certificates and artist crests are awarded.
