The 2nd three-day International Sufi Festival ended on Sunday at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy's Nandan Mancha.
The concluding day festival began at 5 pm and ended at 10 pm with the performance of popular Bangladeshi band ‘Joler Gaan’.
The Allama Rumi Society of Bangladesh and Hatkhola Foundation, a cultural and social development organisation based in Chittagong, jointly organised the festival with the support of the Cultural Affairs Ministry and under the patronage of the Shilpakala Academy (BSA).
The music festival began on Friday with the theme ‘Music for Unity’ with the performance of traditional dance, reports UNB.
Secretary of cultural affairs ministry Ibraheem Hossain Khan was present as the chief guest while Iranian ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Abbas Vaezi Dehnavi, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy director general Liaquat Ali Lucky and Allama Rumi Society Bangladesh president Abdul Karim were present as special guests at the concluding ceremony.
Hyder and Haroon, Iqbal Hyder and Dipankar, and Sirajul Baul performed from 5 pm to 7pm while the audience enjoyed the music of Iranian music troupe Zairob and Indian Ruhani Sisters until 10 pm.
A seminar on Sufi festival music was arranged on the second day (Saturday) in the seminar room of National Drama Centre of BSA.
Four countries -- India, Iran, Turkey and Bangladesh -- participated in the festival with their traditional music.
A total of 119 Sufi artists and folklore singers, including 70 from hosts Bangladesh, performed at the festival.
On the other hand, 15 troupes from home and four from abroad -Iranian Zairob, a Turkish team and two Indian teams, including Ruhani Sisters, were on the performance list.
The first edition of the festival was held in Chittagong.