Charyapada Revival Festival at Bangla Academy in Dhaka on 14 and 15 November
The 'Charyapada Revival Festival 2026' has been organised to present Bengal's ancient spiritual music, sadhu culture and the heritage of Charyageeti to the new generation. The theme of the two-day festival is 'Songs of Bengal's Soul and Nirvana Fair'.
The festival will be held on 14 and 15 November at Bangla Academy in Dhaka. It is being organised by Bhabnagar Foundation.
On the first day, Saturday (14 November), from 9am to 1pm, the inaugural ceremony, a discussion and a Charyageeti session will be held at Bangla Academy's Poet Al Mahmud Writers' Corner.
German researcher and development worker Dr Max Steele will attend as chief guest. Special guests will be Learning Design Studio learning designer Mikhail Idris and Bangladesh Buddhist Federation general secretary Bhikkhu Sunandapriya.
Special speakers will be Dr Shamsul Alam, president of the central council of Tarikat-e-Ahle Bayet Bangladesh, poet, translator and researcher Shahed Kayes, Sylheti Nagri script researcher Mostafa Selim, Dhaka University music department associate professor Dr Saim Rana, Bangla Academy official, poet and researcher Dr Asad Ahmed, and Dhaka University Bangla department assistant professor Jobayer Abdullah. Playwright and researcher Dr Simon Zakaria will host the programme.
On the second day, Sunday (15 November), at 3pm, a Charyageeti training workshop, Bhabnagar Sadhusanga and a Charyageeti procession will be held at the Bhabnagar Sadhusanga premises in Suhrawardy Udyan, opposite Bangla Academy.
Sadhus and artists from different districts of the country will take part in the two days of Charyageeti performances. Among them are Shah Alam Dewan of Barishal, sadhika Srijoni Tania of Chuadanga, Baul Antar Sarkar of Manikganj, Shila Mallik of Shariatpur, Rabiul Haque of Panchagarh, Baul Anis Munshi of Patuakhali, Helal Uddin of Jamalpur and Fateh Kalam of Jhenaidah.
Also taking part will be blind Al Amin Sarkar Pipashi of Kishoreganj, Nazrul Islam Rana of Sunamganj, Ujjal Fakir and Siddik Fakir of Kishoreganj, Fakir Abul Hashem of Pabna, Gyanhin Nahim of Jhenaidah, Ershad Hossain of Jamalpur, Jillur Sarkar and Zakir Chishti of Kishoreganj, Hasan Mia of Brahmanbaria, Mina Pagli of Munshiganj, Halima Khatun of Shariatpur, Abu Bakar Siddik of Noakhali, Faruk Nuri of Sirajganj, Fahim Ahmed of Mymensingh and Ishrat Jahan Trisha of Dhaka.
The organisers expect the festival to create an opportunity to practise, preserve and spread among the new generation the heritage of Bengal's soul songs, Charyageeti and sadhu culture.
