Bulbul Chowdhury

Rashid Ahmed Chowdhury (January 1, 1919 – May 17, 1954; known by his stage name Bulbul Chowdhury) was a Bengali dancer of British India, and later East Pakistan.^[1] He is primarily regarded as a pioneer of modern dance in Bangladesh, as a founding figure of dance among the conservative Muslim community.^[2]

Early life and education

Chowdhury was born in a village in Chittagong, on January 1, 1919. His father, Mohammed Azamullah, was an inspector in the Bengal Police Service. His maternal grandfather, Munshi Fazar Ali Dewan, was a lawyer who practised at Chittagong.^[1] Chowdhury was home tutored in Arabic and Persian. Later he would attend the Howrah Primary School, and the Manikganj High School from where he matriculated in 1934. He earned IA from Presidency College in 1936. He would later earn Bachelor of Arts degree from the Scottish Church College in 1938, and Master of Arts in arts from the University of Calcutta in 1943.^[1][2][3]

During the course of his secondary and graduate education in Calcutta, he came in contact with reputed artists, like Santosh Chandra, the sarod player, the composer Timir Baran Bhattacharya, and dancers Uday Shankar and Sadhana Bose.^[2] These contacts spurred his desire to excel as a dancer. He got his break in 1936, when he was given the chance to perform with danseuse Sadhana Bose in the Rabindra Nritya Natya Kach O Devajani. To avoid the conservative gaze of contemporary conservative Muslims, he took the pseudonym Bulbul Chowdhury.^[2] In 1937, he also helped in founding the Oriental Fine Arts Association.^[1]

Career

Following the outbreak of the World War II, in January 1940, Chowdhury came to Dhaka with his troupe and performed a number of dance dramas. Back in Calcutta, he established Calcutta Culture Centre on 31 March 1941. During the World War II, he moved to Chittagong and worked at different places from 1943 to 1947. During 1950-1952, he performed in dance concerts in the unified Pakistan. In 1953, with his troupe, he visited Europe in countries including Britain, Ireland, Holland, Belgium and France.^[1]

Chowdhury was declared as the National Dancer of Pakistan in 1949. By situating dance as part of the Mughal tradition, he challenged conservative Muslim attitudes towards dance, and helped in making dance gain social respectability and popularity.^[2]

Personal life

Chowdhury was married to Afroza Bulbul Chowdhury. She was a dancer and actress. She died in 1990.

Death and legacy

On May 17, 1954, at the age of 35, Chowdhury died in Calcutta.^[2] After his death, Afroza, Chowdhury's wife, founded the Bulbul Institute of Culture in Karachi and the Bulbul Academy for Fine Arts (BAFA) in Dhaka.^[4] BAFA is also known as Bulbul Lalitakala Academy. It is an institution of fine arts that was established in popularizing dance among conservative Bengali Muslims. Afroza wrote Sundor Ei Prithibi Amar, a memoir on Chowdhury.^[5]

References