Kolkata: In a domino effect of the current turmoil in Bangladesh, a clamour for cancelling the programme of Bangladeshi singer Rezwana Chowdhury Banya in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas has been gaining momentum. The 'Environmental Awareness Fair' will begin on December 28 in Madhyamgram where Banya is scheduled to perform.
This annual fair is organised by the Madhyamgram Municipality featuring various cultural programmes with artists from Kolkata and Mumbai. This year, the famous Rabindra Sangeet ventriloquist Banya was scheduled to perform in the evening on the inaugural day. She is not only popular in Bengal and Bangladesh but in various parts of the world. But she has had to face problems because of her nationality.
Madhyamgram Municipality Mayor Nimai Ghosh said, "There is no question of cancelling Banya's programme as there is no room for discrimination against artists".
"There is a Facebook page called Madhyamgram Citizens which has demanded the cancellation of the programme. Banya is a popular artist not only from the other side but also all over the world. The demand to remove her from the itinerary is not right. She has been in this country for a long time. Our chairman said initially the names of the artists were decided. Nothing has been finalised yet," Pankaj Kanti Dey, councillor of Ward No. 7, said.
The Facebook page wrote — "As an Indian citizen, we appeal to the Madhyamgram Municipality to immediately cancel the performance of Bangladeshi artist Rezwana Chowdhury Banya at the Madhyamgram Poribesh Mela on December 28. Please do not allow any artist from Bangladesh to perform. Country first, everything else comes after that".
"Hindus are being persecuted in Bangladesh. The Indian national flag has been insulted there. Even in this situation, I do not see any protest from our country's artists and intellectuals. For us, nationalism comes first. This is a question of sovereignty. Therefore, we object to the performance of the Bangladeshi artist. We have also asked the Madhyamgram Municipality to consider the matter," Roopak Dey, the admin, told ETV Bharat.
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