"Bangladesh, Ami Tomake Bhalobashi" Rahat Fateh Ali mesmerises at 'Echoes of Revolution'
Expressing heartfelt admiration for his millions of fans in Bangladesh, popular singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan enamoured the music lovers at the 'Echoes of Revolution' concert on Saturday night at the capital’s Army Stadium.
Organised by the Spirits of July platform to support the victims and their families of the July uprising, the concert featured popular local bands and artists including Artcell, Chirkutt, Aftermath, members of the Silsila Qawwali group, and July Uprising-famed rappers Shezan and Hannan.
After observing a minute's silence in memory of the injured and martyred in the July uprising, the singer started his performances at 9:50 pm with the Bollywood track 'Aas Paas Hain Khuda', a popular song from the Ranbir Kapoor-Priyanka Chopra starrer-film 'Anjaana Anjaani'.
Prior to that, the concert began with Silsila's soulful performances and went on becoming a majestic joyride for the audiences with steller presentations of rappers Shezan and Hannan, Aftermath, Chirkutt and Artcell. All of the abovementioned performers expressed their heartfelt messages in between the performances for the revolutionary heroes, martyrs and their families.
Before the soulful performances of the eminent artist and highlight of the night Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, three Advisers of the interim government - Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter,
Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan and Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin, graced the stage along with Syed Ahmed Maroof, the Ambassador of Pakistan in Dhaka.
Sarjis Alam, one of the coordinators of the anti-discrimination movement; Mir Mahbubur Rahman Snigdha, CEO of the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation; and the injured victims of the July uprising Atiqur Rahman, Khokon Chandra Barman, and family members of the martyrs including Shaheed Ahnaf's mother and Shaheed Saikat's sister, also took the stage.
Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan shared a personal experience, recalling his memory of being a member of the Silsila Qawwali group and performing amidst attacks by the fascist regime's student organisation.
He received ovation from the organisers for empowering the event and Asif announced that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will also perform at the upcoming inaugural ceremony of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Cricket.
Greeting everyone with "Assalamu Alaikum. Bangladesh, Ami Tomake Bhalobashi," Rahat then went on performing his popular songs one by one, including 'Sajna Tera Bina', 'Ore Piya', 'Zaruri Tha', 'Mere Rashke Kamar', 'Afreen Afreen' and more.
Rahat also introduced his son Shahzaman Fateh Ali Khan to the audiences, who performed along with his father. Rahat Fateh Ali ended the performance at 11:30 pm with the popular track 'Dama Dum Mast Kalandar', and the artist did not take any fee for his performance in this concert.
The proceeds from the sale of tickets will go to the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation, a welfare organisation working with the families of the martyrs and injured victim’s in the mass uprising.