Ten!! Years of Artcell

Friday the 23rd celebrated mega-band Artcell's 10-year anniversary in Dhaka Sheraton's Winter Garden. Along with Artcell performing there was Powersurge, Mechanix and Reborn with special guest appearances from Cryptic Fate, Rockstrata, X-Factor, Aurthohin, Warfaze, Miles and Feedback. Artcell began the show with a few of their own tracks starting with 'Shaheed Sharani' a tribute to the martyrs, 'Onno Shomoy' and 'Dukho Bilash'. The audience was cheering and singing them selves hoarse making it difficult to hear anything that anyone was saying. It was worth the wait because the music was unbelievable! During 'Dukho Bilash',

Artcell frontman, Lincoln, didn't even have to sing 'cos the audience was doing it for him. It was one of the best moments of the show. After the first three songs by Artcell, the first video message of the night was shown on the screen (again, couldn't hear ANYTHING because of the cheering) and members of Cryptic Fate joined them on stage. They started with a Cryptic Fate track 'Cholo Bangladesh' and then did a rendition of 'Bhul Jonmo' and the frontman, Shakib, lead the crowd in a �Happy Birthday� song to Artcell. Next up with the band were members of Rockstrata followed by Jewel from X-Factor who performed a song called 'Rupok' dedicated to the memory of the late Artcell lyricist, Torikul Islam Rupok. Shumon 'Bassbaba', from Aurthohin, joined the band next and did a couple of songs ending with Poth Chola, an Artcell classic. Mechanix replaced them on stage and performed 'Dhrubo Shor'. They also paid a VERY lenghty tribute to Bangladesh's rock music scene with a medley of songs from Azam Khan, Miles, Bacchu, James, Warfaze, Artcell, Powersurge, Aurthohin and one of their own.

Artcell came back on stage with Romel on keyboards and they did Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here' (again in memory of Rupok), Metallica's 'The Unforgiven' and 'Tomake'. Reborn followed, after setting up for what seemed like a bajillion years, with an Artcell tribute of 'Odekha Shorgo' and a Warfaze tribute of 'Ekti Chele'.

Powersurge got up next and stole the show with their incredible performances of Artcell's 'Rahur Grash', Jame's 'Sultana Bibiani' and their own 'Mitther Aggroshon'. This was the last Dhaka show for Powersurge guitarist Samir Hafiz, one of the best in the business. The band dedicated their performance to Artcell as well and Samir and thanked him for the wonderful year and the journey they shared together. Samir also had a very emotional moment up on stage while thanking his devoted fans. 'Bangladesh is losing one of its best guitarists.' says a sad Powersurge fan. Samir, we all love you and will miss you very very much. Come home soon! The legendary Warfaze came next and following them was Feedback who performed one of their own songs 'Shunina Purono Diner Oi Gaan' and the Artcell version of Nazrul Sangeet 'Kandari Hushiyar'. Miles, singing 'Sriti Sharok' and 'Shopnobhongo', was the last band to join Artcell on stage.

Artcell ended the show with 'Aniket Prantor' and thanked the fans for a great 10 years. A video of 'Pathor Bagan' an Artcell track was screened along with mini video messages to and from the bands performing with them throughout the concert. Overall, performance-wise, the show was immensely successful with every band giving us all an unforgettable show. However, the same could not be said for the organizing: there seemed to be a lot of technical difficulties (during Mechanix's tribute, the sound kept failing) and then there was the whole Bengali tradition style wait at the start. The concert was supposed to start at 3:30 but ended up hitting it off at 5:52. During this whole wait, the audience actually had to stand waiting for Artcell to finally get on stage. The '10 years of Artcell Insanity' show credits go to ConcitoPR, Spotlight Events Management and Game Theory, with Media Partner Radio Foorti and, of course, the band.
Congratulations Artcell on ten years of progressive rocking out. May you continue to record and perform your extensive songs for another 10 more successful years!!

Sher-e-Bangla A.K Fazlul haque- The Tiger of Bengal

BANGLADESH remembers today a great hero, a giant among men, who was born on this red-letter day in 1873. The whole nation honours and respects and admires this brave son of Bengal because he loved peace and did everything in his power to avert dire calamities; because he merited the high and exalted positions to which the suffrage of a grateful nation elevated him; because he was regardless of personal gains and cheerfully endured all toil and hardship so that he might elevate the masses of mankind; because he had a high sense of honour, respected the rights of conscience, and nobly advocated equality of privileges and the universal brotherhood of man; because he had an unshakable faith in Islam but never spoke ill of any other religion; because he was a man of the people. And Bangladeshis believe that he was one of us and that he was for us. Yes, Sher-e-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Huq, whose birth anniversary we celebrate today, really gave enormously of himself to the people, and he really loved the people.

He came right from the heart of Bengal, not from its geographical heart but from its spiritual heart. He exemplified what millions of parents hope their sons would be: strong and courageous, intelligent and erudite, honest and compassionate. He personified integrity, he personified honour, he personified modesty, he personified dignity, he personified dedication, he personified loyalty, he personified patriotism. And with his qualities of head and heart, he personified the best in Bengal.

His was indeed an eventful life, his personality multi-faced and his achievements many. Many were the roles he had filled with distinction. At one time or another, he was one of the greatest legal luminaries the Indian subcontinent had produced, an unparalleled ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity, a great constitutionalist, a distinguished parliamentarian, a top-notch politician, an indefatigable freedom fighter, a fiery orator of the first water, a political strategist of the highest order, an educationist of rare caliber, a social reformer with foresight and acumen, and, above all, an indomitable champion of truth and justice.

No wonder the people loved him with all the warmth and sincerity under the sun, and every trust that the people of this country had in their power to bestow, he was given. And yet, he always retained a saving humility. His was the humility not of feat but of confidence. He brushed shoulders with the "greats" of both the subcontinent and Great Britain, and he knew that the "greats" were human. Yes, his was the humility of man before Allah and before the truth. His was the humility of a man too proud to be arrogant.

When Sher-e-Bangla was born in 1873, Bengal lay prostrate at the feet of the British, groaning from the wounds inflicted upon it. The Great Mutiny of 1857 had been ruthlessly quelled and the ancient ruling classes had either been wiped out or lay cringing in the dust. The poor and helpless people of Bengal were so hungry, ragged and unhappy that they thought with their stomach, saw with their nakedness and felt with their misery.

The Tiger of Bengal genuinely believed that he was one of them and that he was for them. He was driven by a mission to serve, to improve and uplift the toiling masses. He inspired them to go forward, to take their lives in their hands, fully and joyfully as he himself did. And the hundreds and thousands of hapless and downtrodden have-nots, who stood in awe of the mighty, very easily gave their heart to this person who renounced personal advantages and dedicated himself of the general welfare. It is true some differed with him, but all respected his sincerity, his wisdom, his solicitude for the toiling masses and his passion for truth and justice.

No one who knew Sher-e-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Huq would attempt to describe him in a nutshell. He was many-sided, complex, full of conflicting enthusiasms and burdened by many sorrows. Yet, there has seldom been a public hero who was more open with his problems and his thoughts, in private letters and public prints, in speeches and conversations with friends and colleagues. He always seemed to talk fully and freely, to say just what he thought and felt, to make every effort to see that his listeners understood his viewpoint, regardless of what they might think of its merits.

Some remember the mastery of language, the gift of oratory that placed him in a class with Edmund Burke and Winston Churchill. Some remember that he was human and humane, a fully developed man who responded so keenly to the joy of life as he did to the cry of human distress. Some remember that he was a lover of people, a lover whose loyalty was pledged to all mankind. Some remember that all his life he pleaded and strove for social justice, for the right of the lowly to dignity, of the poor to material well-being, of the citizen of self-government, of the ignorant to knowledge, of the child to unfettered development, of the chained Bengalees to consciousness and freedom.

Some remember how he truly loved problems, and with an exuberant confidence that few politicians could match he thought that he could solve some of them, though not single-handedly. He delighted in leading and managing and inspiring people, all kinds of people, people in every walk of life, in every domain of thought. As he could persuade, he could also be persuaded. He had respect for others' points if he was persuaded that he had been wrong. Tolerance and sympathy were elements of his character, and that character gained him the affection and esteem of millions of his countrymen. But let none forget even for a moment the single quality that made him unique, the quality that made him powerful, the quality that endeared him to the common masses: the qualities of head and heart, the quality of character. His greatness derived not from his office, but from his character, from a unique moral force that transcended national boundaries, even as his deep concern for humanity transcended international boundaries.

Sher-e-Bangla, the beloved Tiger of Bengal, is a part of history now -- he had shaded himself, in the words of Omar Khayyam, "with yesterday's seven thousand years." Once again we celebrate today the birth anniversary of the doyen of Bengal, once again the whole nation salutes the great personality, a fond salute to a man whose extraordinary life was dedicated to service, a profound respectful salute to a man larger than life who, by any standard, was one of the giants of all times. The beautiful eulogy of John Maidston aptly applies to him: "A larger soul hath seldom dwelt in a house of clay."

Blazing a trail for Bengali Muslim artistes: Abbau Uddin

Today marks the 107th birth anniversary of legendary folk singer Abbasuddin Ahmed (October 27, 1901-December 30, 1959). He was born at Balarampur in Tufanganj subdivision in the district of Cooch Behar, now in West Bengal. His father, Zafar Ali Ahmed, was a lawyer at the Tufanganj Subdivisional Court. Abbasuddin's interest in music grew through attendance at cultural functions at school and college. He was self-taught, except for a brief period when he trained under Ustad Jamiruddin Khan in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Ustad Kader Buksh in Murshidabad. He sang different types of songs such as folk, adhunik, patriotic and Islamic. But Abbasuddin became renowned mainly as a singer of folk songs.Initially, he became famous for his renditions of bhawaiya and chatka songs. He became increasingly popular with his jaari, shari, bhatiyali, murshidi, bichchhedi, marsiya and pala gaan, especially when these were made into gramophone records. No other singer could surpass his emotional, full-throated rendition of folk songs.

The fact that the virtuoso artiste played a key role in popularising Islamic songs in Bangla is often overlooked. "Ramzan-er oi rozar sheshey elo khushir Eid," a song that has become the unofficial harbinger of Eid-ul-Fitr, was originally recorded by Abbasuddin. This song, composed by Kazi Nazrul Islam, brought about a cultural renaissance among Bengali Muslims. According to Ferdousi Rahman, daughter of Abbasuddin and a renowned artiste: �In those days Abba was singing in Kolkata with HMV; he had also done various songs of Nazrul by that time. He wished to sing Islamic songs and told Nazrul about his desire to record Islamic songs like qawwali, which were very popular at the time. In those days conservative Muslims considered singing and even listening to music sacrilege. Bhagabati Babu, the rehearsal manager of Gramophone Company, was approached, but he angrily rejected the idea. At a suitable moment, Bhagabati was requested again and this time he gave his consent.�

Nazrul composed the song within a matter of half an hour and taught Abbasuddin the song the very next day. The song became an instant hit and this marked the beginning of the era of Islamic songs in Bangla. Abbasuddin stayed in Calcutta from 1931 to 1947. In 1947, after Partition, he joined the Department of Information and Broadcasting as an additional song organiser. He participated at the South East Asia Conference in Manila in 1955 and at the International Folk Music Conference in Germany in 1956. Abbasuddin wrote an account of his life as a singer in "Amar Shilpi Jiban-er Katha" (1960). For his invaluable contribution to music he was posthumously honoured with the "Pride of Performance Award" in 1960, "Shilpakala Academy Award" in 1979 (posthumously) and "Swadhinata Dibas Puraskar" in 1981 (posthumously). Apart from Ferdousi, Abbasuddin's son Mustafa Zaman Abbasi and his granddaughter Nashid Kamal are also renowned singers.

Banks Of Bangladesh with SWIFT code and other information

Here I have gathered most popular local banks of

Bangladesh

with the location, contact information and SWIFT code. I only have used the SWIFT code of head office of each bank as there are numerous branches of each bank and the SWIFT code differs from each branch from other.

Name	Head office	SWIFT	Telephone	E-mail
Al-Arafah	Rahman Manssion,161 Motijheel C/A Dhaka-1000,	`	(880-2)-9568007, 9560198, 9567885,9567819, 9569353	alarafah@bangla.net
AB Bank	Corporate Head Office BCIC Bhaban, 30-31 Dilkusha C/A Dhaka 1000,	ABBLBDDH	+880-2-9560312	info@abbank.com.bd
Agrani Bank	9/D, Dilkusha C/A, Motijheel, Dhaka	AGBKBDDH	9566153-54, 9566160-69, 9566074-75	enquiry@agranibank.org

Bangladesh Commerce	Principal Branch, Taranga Complex 19, Rajuk Avenue, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka		9553832, 9668171 PABX: 9559831, 9571581 Ext-123	bcbl@bdmail.net
Bangladesh Shilpa Bank	8, Rajuk Avenue Dhaka-1000		+880-2-9556786 PABX: +880-2-9555151-59 Ext- 412 +880-2-9560014-15 Ext- 412	misd@shilpabank.gov.bd

BRAC Bank	1 Gulshan Avenue , Gulshan -1, Dhaka 1212 .	BRAK BD DH	+880-2-8824051-4	enquiry@bracbank.com
Citibank N.A.	23, Motijheel C/A Dhaka-1000	CITIBDDX	+880 2 9550060
Dhaka Bank	Adamjee Court 115-120 Motijheel C/A,		9556583, PABX: 9556587,	shihab1@bdonline.com

Dutch-Bangla Bank	Sena Kalyan Bhaban (3rd & 4th floor) 195, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000	DBBL BJ	88-02-9568542-44	dbbl@bdmail.net
Eastern Bank	Jiban Bima Bhaban (2nd floor) 10, Dilkusha C/A, Dhaka-1000	EBLD BJ	9558390, 9558391, 9562348, PABX: 9556360-70,	info@ebl-bd.com
Exim Bank	Printers Building (5th, 6th & 10th & 13th Floor) 5, Rajuk Avenue, Dhaka-1000		9566418, 9561604	eximho@bdonline.com
First Security Bank	23, Dilkusha C/A, Dhaka-1000,		9564733, 9560229, 95626878	fsbldil@bdonline.com
Habib Bank:	PO Box 201, 53 Motijheel, Commercial Area, Dhaka		+880 2 9563043-5	hbldhaka@bdonline.com
IFIC Bank	Head Office BSB Building (8th, 10th & 16th � 19th Floor) 8, Rajuk Avenue G.P.O. Box � 2229 Dhaka-1000	IFIC BD DH	9563020, 9562060, 9562062, 9562068	info@ificbankbd.com
Islami Bank Bangladesh	75, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka	IBBLBDDH	9563040	sheikhul@islamibankbd.com
Jamuna Bank:	Printers Building (3rd & 8th) Floor 5, Rajuk Avenue, Dhaka,	JAMUBDDH	88-02-9570912-16, 9555141	jamunabk@bdcom.com
Janata Bank	48, Motijheel Corporate48, Motijheel Commercial Area, Dhaka-1000,	JANBBDDH	9566094,9565003,9566089	md@janatabank-bd.com
Mercantile Bank	61, Dilkusha C/A, Dhaka	MBLBBDDH	880-2-9559333	mbl@bol-online.com
Mutual Trust Bank	68 Dilkusha C/A, Dhaka.	MTBL BD DH	717 0138 � 40	mosharraf@mtb.com.bd
National Bank	International Division 18 Dilkusha C/A,Dhaka-1000	NBLBBDDH	(880) (2) 955 7045, 955 1200	nblid@bdonline.com
National Credit & Commerce Bank	7-8 Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000 G.P.O. Box No. 2920		88-02-9561902-4, 9566283, 7117314	nccbl@bdmail.net
One Bank	HRC Bhaban, 46 Kawaran Bazar C/A, Dhaka	ONEBBDDH	8122046	obl@onebankbd.com
Pubali Bank G.P.O. Box. Number : 853. CODE :	26, Dilkusha Commercial Area, Dhaka-1000	PUBABDDH	9551614	pubali@bdmail.net
Premier Bank	IQBAL CENTRE (4th Floor), 42 Kemal Ataturk Avenue, Banani, Dhaka-1213		880-2-9887581-84, 8811417, 9890591-2, 8819916, 9890547, 9890012, 8825614	info@pemierbankltd.com
Rupali Bank	Rupali Bhaban, 34, Dilkusha Commercial Area, Dhaka	RUPBBDDH	9551624-25, 9554122, 9552163,	rblhocom@bdcom.com
Shahjalal Bank	Head Office, 35-44, Motijheel C/A Dhaka -1000,		88-02-9550655	sbhoitd@bttb.net.bd ; sbhoid@bdmail.net
SouthEast Bank Limited	1, Dilkusha Commercial Area 3rd Floor, Dhaka - 1000,	SEBD BD DH	(88-02)9550081-5, (88-02)9567271-2	seastbk@citechco.net
Uttara Bank	90, Motijheel Commercial Area, P.O. Box No. 217 & 818 Dhaka-1000,	UTBLBDDH	9551162-3, 9553085-6, 9558656, 9566067-9, 9565732, 9568941	uttara@citechco.net ; ublmis@citechco.net
Standard Bank Limited	Chamber Building 122-124, Motijheel C/A	SDBLBDDH	017111-425402	info@standardbankbd.com
The Trust Bank	Peoples Insurance Building, 17th,16th & 2nd floor, 36 Dilkusha C/A, Dhaka-1000,		9570261, 9570263, 9572012-3	tbl@global-bd.net ; info@trustbankbd.com
United Commercial Bank	58, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000	UCBLBDDHPRB	+88-02-9555799, 9561054,9559744 Pabx: +88-02-9550836, 9550833,9568547-48	prb@ucbl.com
Southeast Bank	Address: 1, Dilkusha Commercial Area 3rd Floor, Dhaka - 1000,	SEBD BD DH	(88-02)9550081-5, (88-02)9567271-2	seastbk@citechco.net
Standard Bank:	Chamber Building 122-124, Motijheel C/A	SDBLBDDH	9559044	info@standardbankbd.com