Homage to a poet:

An exciting crowd waiting for the gates to open. It was the night where the spirits of lending a hand and assistance flew around. Samudra Gupta, one of the leading poets and lyricist of the country is suffering from cancer and the crowd stands awaiting, to let him know that they are by his side. As the gates open and the crowd flurries in, the program organizers, Scholars Publisher and Shangbrita, put final additions on the set up for the program. Shimul Mustafa, one of the leading orators of the poetry world of Bangladesh informally voiced a piece to set the mood for the upcoming performance. The program was inaugurated with a welcome message from celebrated actor Assaduzzaman Noor and the raisings from the sales of tickets of the program being handed over to the family of Samudra Gupta by the living legend Nirmalendu Gun. While the lights dimmed and the reverberations of the applause of the audience faded away, the stage reminded me of 'Krishnopokkhe Adh Khana Chand' - the title of the program. The festive atmosphere was all there, but something overhung the program, a sorrow, a pain that showed on all the faces, peeking out at the mention of a name, 'Samudra'. The program started with an ensemble of instruments like Harmonium, Acoustic Guitar, Flute, Violin, Keyboard and Tabla playing along with a blend of Oration and classical singing. The performers of the program, orator Mahidul Islam and talented singer Dilara Khan Rupa vibrated through the jam packed auditorium in pin drop silence which was only occasionally perturbed by the applause of the audience at the end of each performances. The follow up by the instrumentalists were marvellous as they adapted to each of the changes in atmosphere and the combination of flute and violin playing was a remarkable sight. Famous poetry by Rabindranath Tagore, Najim Hekmat and popular classical based songs like 'tumi nirmal koro mangal kore', 'ami shunachi shedin tumi' made the audience feel a smooth yet strong moral awakening.

Samudra Gupta is ill; his service to the nation over his life did not make room for personal thoughts at the end leaving him with limited finances to undergo the required treatment. He lies, awaiting the response of the nation he gave his personal life away for. The nation growls and steps forward. The show ended with a final note that echoed repeatedly throughout the room from the hearts of the organizers and audience, 'Samudra, come back to the land of 1300 rivers…'

We write with heavy heart that by the time this magazine is ready to go to press, Samudra Gupta has left us for eternity. We salute this legendary poet and cherish the words he has left back for us

Chit Chat and Tea with Radio Today…

'Dear Listeners, apnara shunchhen Radio Today 89.6 FM' - This phrase now establishes contact between thousands of radio listeners in Bangladesh everyday. The persons behind the voices that soothe, befriend, charm and shares burdens with the listeners stayed under folds until recently.

Now they are out with a bang! With promotions and photos these voices have turned now into superstar figures in the country. However, the question lies on how they feel about it, were there any changes? During the visit to their station a lot had been revealed. The people behind the voices RJ's Nirob, Nowshin, Zara, Saify, Rimli and Farhana open up to Ice Today in their office over tea. When asked about the journey from everyday to RJ identity and what it takes, RJ Saify informs about the gruelling competition and challenges of the job. In the selection for Radio Today's third generation of RJ, the selection started of from a 50,000 heads and through steps of 3,000 heads, 600 heads ended to a 30 head list. The final selection depended on the spontaneity and results of the grooming the applicants had received. Being my old misinformed self, I went 'Grooming?'. RJ Zara smiles and shows the hard lines of their job. All their expression has to go through their voice. RJ Saify quips in about the fact that the listeners, not being able to see the speakers, have fantasized pictures about the looks and whereabouts of their beloved friendly RJ's. RJ's Farhana and Rimli do the programs for the Chittagong sub-station from Dhaka. But the messages have huge lists of sightings of them all around Chittagong everyday. They just smile realising the curiosity for the unknown these listeners have. RJ Saify tells about the laughs he had over the concept of RJ's being software that have been programmed to play songs on request, the voices being pre-recorded. He says that one of the challenges of the job is to control the panel they have to sit at in the studio, controlling screens showing messages with requests, song list, time sequences along with two mouse and a keyboard for controlling the operations, all the while talking continuously on the microphone that is transmitting live for the listeners to hear.
Talking about the listeners and their views, all the RJs had the same things to say. They don't want to be celebrities for their listeners, just friends. Their respect for listeners makes their job so challenging, with the loyalty and awareness of the needs and wants of the listeners as a requirement of the job, it's a hard to tackle. RJ Nirob tells us of the developing maturity of the listeners and the increased interactions of the listeners.

When asked about the future of RJ-ing Nowshin and Nirob tells us of the bright future that awaits. They foresee a future where it shall become a self-sufficient career rather than a part time job. 'Since radio is moving from music to infotainment, its also time to show that RJ-ing can be a career' says Nirob.