Sanjida Khatun’s legacy celebrated in Sydney’s cultural soirée

A special musical tribute was held in memory of the late Rabindra Sangeet artiste and founding president of Chhayanaut, Sanjida Khatun, in Sydney, Australia. The commemorative programme, held in an atmosphere of mourning and reverence, took place last Sunday (July 27) at the Ermington Community Centre.

Titled "Gaaner Jharna Talay Shrotar Ashor", the event was organised by Sydney-based cultural organisation Protiti.

The event was curated and directed by Rabindra Sangeet artiste Sirajus Salekin, son of noted folk musician Abdul Latif and leader of the Protiti artistes' collective.

"Our aim was to host a listener-focused gathering, not a celebratory festival," said Salekin. "We hoped to create an emotionally charged evening that built a sensitive bridge between audience and artiste—immersed in remembrance, love, and the pain of absence."

The evening featured performances by artistes Sumita Dey, Larina Nupur Rosario, Sajia Hossain Preity, Chaman Baset, and Sirajus Salekin himself. Their renditions of Tagore's songs infused the auditorium with an ambience of lyrical depth and introspection. Over 250 attendees were visibly moved, absorbed in nostalgia and emotion.

Edward Adhikari, renowned Sydney-based photographer and cultural organiser, said, "To our generation, Sanjida Khatun remains a beacon of inspiration. Through music, thought, and her outlook on life, she taught us how to weave culture into our daily existence. Tonight felt as if her presence once again reached us—through melody."

Sanjida Khatun, one of Bangladesh's most respected cultural figures, passed away on March 25. She was a Rabindra Sangeet artiste, musicologist, teacher, writer, and researcher. She served for many years as a professor of Bangla Language and Literature at the University of Dhaka. Her name remains inseparable from Chhayanaut, the country's leading cultural institution, which she co-founded and helped shape. This listener's gathering in Sydney served as a heartfelt homage to her memory by the Bangladeshi diaspora.