Charyapada festival 2025 concludes with training, revival session
The three-day Charyapada Revival Festival 2025 concluded on Friday (July 11) with a contemplative session of training and spiritual revival centered around the ancient mystical songs of Charyapada. The closing event took place from 3 PM to 9 PM at the Studio Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
Organized by the Bhavnogor Foundation, the final day began with a Charyapada singing workshop. The session was led by mystic performers Srijoni Tania, Shah Alam Dewan, and Antor Sarkar, who respectively trained participants in Kahnpada’s songs in the original language, Charyapada in contemporary Bengali, and Charya verses composed by Atish Dipankar. Alongside spiritual artists from across the country, the workshop also drew participation from Harvard University Professor Dr. Keith E. Cantú, as well as students from Dhaka and Jahangirnagar Universities and other higher education institutions.
In the evening, the second part of the program featured a special performance session dedicated to the revival of Charyapada songs. The performances began with a rendition of Luipa’s “Kaa-a Tarubara”. Other artists who took part included Abdul Latif Shah (Chuadanga), Fakir Abul Hashem (Pabna), Monindra Das (Sunamganj), Fateh Kamal (Jhenaidah), Pipashi (Kishoreganj), Antor Sarkar (Manikganj), Shah Alam Dewan (Barisal), and Mina Pagli (Netrokona), among others. Instrumental accompaniment was provided by Hasan Miah, Zakir Chishti, and Nazrul Islam Rana.
During the concluding ceremony, Shah Alam Dewan and Antor Sarkar were honored for their decade-long contribution to the revival of Charyapada songs. Certificates were also distributed to participants of the workshop.
In his closing remarks, poet and thinker Farhad Mazhar stated that the revival of Charyapada is not merely a cultural pursuit but a radical reading of Bengali selfhood. He emphasized that the syncretic Sahajiya worldview—which unifies body, spirit, and the divine—is where the true language of Bengal's liberation resides.
He expressed hope that Bhavnogor Foundation would help Charyapada transcend its status as an “exotic Orientalist” subject and instead become a rediscovery of Bengal by its own people.
Professor Dr. Sukomal Barua also addressed the audience, highlighting the profound philosophical significance of Charyapada in his speech.
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