The festival will next move to Chattogram, where the seventh programme is scheduled for October 27
Updated : 5 October 2026, 13:52
•ENTERTAINMENT
Arts & Entertainment Desk
Speakers at the sixth edition of the Kabir-Lalon Bhabsangeet Festival in Rangpur have said the spiritual music of Kabir and Fakir Lalon Shah has transcended geographical and temporal boundaries to gain universal appeal.
Organised by Lalon Biswasangha with support from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the festival was held at the auditorium of Rangpur District Shilpakala Academy on Sunday.
Inaugurating the programme, Professor Dr Md Shawkat Ali, vice-chancellor of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, said the musical traditions of Kabir and Lalon had grown beyond the boundaries of time and place and could be viewed as a form of universal spiritual music.
Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source
Image
He said the festival could help audiences in Bangladesh discover Kabir through Lalon’s music, while audiences elsewhere could also come to appreciate the two figures alongside each other.
Rangpur Deputy Commissioner Israt Jahan attended the programme as chief guest. She said the enduring public interest in Kabir and Lalon warranted further research and comparative study of their lives, philosophies and spiritual traditions.
Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Mahbubur Rashid attended as a special guest, while Mawlana Abdul Jalil spoke on the philosophy of Kabir and Lalon. Abdel Mannan, chief executive of Lalon Biswasangha and a Kabir-Lalon researcher, chaired the programme.
The second session featured a musical presentation titled “From Kabir to Lalon: An Imperishable Bridge of Eternal Love”, with artistes from the Kabir-Lalon Musical Mission performing 20 kalams by Kabir and Lalon. The same presentation has featured in earlier divisional editions of the festival.
The nationwide festival began in Dhaka on September 11 and is travelling across all eight divisions, with programmes combining discussions, research and musical performances around the spiritual and humanist traditions of Kabir and Lalon.
The festival will next move to Chattogram, where the seventh programme is scheduled for October 27 at the Chattogram District Shilpakala Academy premises. The concluding programme will be held on October 30 at the District Council Multipurpose Auditorium in Sreemangal, representing the Sylhet division.
