বাংলা 
English 
Song, ritual and an unending stream of devotees kept Cheuriya festive through the day. The second day of the three-day observance marking Baul Samrat Fakir Lalon Shah's 136th Tirodhan was celebrated at the Lalon Akhrabari in Cheuria, Kumarkhali, Kushtia on Sunday (18 October).
The day opened at dawn with the group singing of the fakirs and sadhus. In the morning came Balya Seba — the ritual of bhek initiation for several bauls, the taking of payesh and muri, songs, music and discourse on tatta. At noon, after a bath at the Rajghat on the Kali river, came Purna Seba — white rice, hilsa fish, kalai dal, vegetables and yoghurt were served to devotees who had travelled from far and wide. The 24-hour sadhusanga ended in the afternoon, yet songs and mystic discourse kept the akhrabari alive all through.
Across the akhrabari floated the sounds of bamboo flutes, dotara, ektara, mandira and dugi; some sat sketching portraits of Lalon. Bauls, fakirs and devotees arrived from different corners of the country, and visitors from abroad were seen too — though the report noted this year's gathering was somewhat smaller than the last.
Suraia Mariam, a devotee from Baliya village in Narsingdi's Polash upazila, said, “I love hearing about Saiji. My kabul came through this year, so I could come.” Noor Mohammad of Natore put it this way, “It is the pull of the heart that brings me here. Knowing or hearing about Lalon is not enough — he must be held within.” Abdul Shah Fakir of Kalukhali in Rajbari, who has kept company with the akhrabari for nearly seventy years, said the gatherings once sat in a thatched shed of four or five asars; now the crowds are immense and people arrive from many countries.
In the evening the second day's discussion meeting was held at the Lalon Majar stage. Presided over by Deputy Commissioner and Lalon Academy president Tawhid Bin Hasan, the meeting had Khulna Divisional Commissioner Md Abdullah Harun as chief guest and poet, writer and thinker Farhad Mazhar as honoured guest. Special guests included DIG of Khulna Range Mohammad Rezaul Karim, Superintendent of Police Mohammad Aminul Islam, 47 BGB commander Lieutenant Colonel Rashed Kamal Roni, Zila Parishad administrator Bir Muktijoddha Adv Sohrab Uddin and district BNP convener Kutub Uddin Ahmed. Professor Dr Rashiduzzaman of the Bengali department of Islamic University and Kumarkhali's officiating Upazila Nirbahi Officer Navid Sarwar also addressed the meeting.
At the discussion, honoured guest Farhad Mazhar said, “There is no Lalonism; all is Gurubad.” A long struggle, he said, had been waged to stop presenting Lalon as a 'baul': the word 'baul' appears in none of Lalon's songs — not 'baul'; to understand Lalon, one must sit with the fakirs.
He objected to the Lalon Academy presenting Lalon songs with altered words and tunes, saying the Academy has no right to make such changes; he had heard many songs the previous day sung with altered words and tunes, and more research on Lalon's music was needed. Noting that celebrated Lalon singer Farida Parveen once sang Lalon songs to folk tunes, he regretted that she was not honoured at the event and dedicated his address to her.
After the meeting, Academy artistes and renowned Lalon singers of the country performed Fakir Lalon Shah's spiritual songs on the main stage. The event is being organised nationally by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, with the Lalon Academy extending cooperation locally. The three-day observance concludes this Monday (19 October) evening with the closing discussion and a stage performance.
Source:- Prothom Alo and Sarabangla
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