Sunday meant a working day for marketing professional and Dhaka resident Safayat Mahmud. However, the latter cut short a work meeting in the evening to be part of a virtual programme that was organised by a cultural club of AC Block in Salt Lake.

This was his first time. Kichu Kotha Kichu Gaan, a cultural evening organised by Suridbrindo Club, was meant to honour Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh and India’s Satyajit Ray, both of whom completed their birth centenary in succeeding years, through music, poetry and an audio play. The whole programme was shared with audiences from Salt Lake and elsewhere through a Whatsapp group.

“I was included in the group through a friend who is a resident of AC Block. I joined, eager to see how a cultural evening can be conducted on WhatsApp. It was an excellent experience. I got to listen to our national anthem and many other old favourites. I was left nostalgic,” added Safayat.

He was not the only one. Audiences joined in from Japan, the US and all over Calcutta to make the community programme of a neighbourhood club much more than that.

AC Block resident Sumitra Das’s rendition of Amar Sonar Bangla started off an evening of charged emotions as participants, mostly from Salt Lake, took turns to sing Bengali and Hindi songs and recite poetry and Mujibur Rehman’s famous speeches.

All the performances were pre-recorded and uploaded at intervals on the WhatsApp group. Every performance was followed by a flood of praise, both from “old para friends” and new patrons.

“This was the sixth programme that we conducted virtually since the start of the pandemic. We follow the same module. Friends and neighbours are requested to send recordings of their performances. The best are selected and uploaded at an interval of a few minutes. The anchor’s narration is also uploaded in between. Most people get drawn in and don’t leave the group till they have heard all the recordings,” said Samit Roy of AC Block, who along with Arup Ghosh, Animesh Mukherjee and Prabal Bhattacharya, formed the core team of organisers.

“Our club has been presenting cultural programmes since 2016, bringing the Salt Lake community together. This time we received performance recordings from residents all over the city. Besides honouring Rehman, as a wrap up to his 101th birth anniversary, and Ray, on his centenary year, we also tried to reach out to people sitting alone at home,” added Samit Ray.

The programme that stretched from 6pm to 9.30pm was a montage of five poems, two dance performances and over 25 songs.

Anishka Das performs a dance

The youngest participant was four-year-old Anishka Das of AC Block, who danced to the Nazrulgeeti Rum jhum jhum jhum on the occasion. According to mother Achira Adhya, the child is a spontaneous dancer who was delighted to perform before a virtual audience. “As her father shot her in action she kept looking towards me for encouragement. I had taught her the steps and had to sing along,” laughed Anishka’s mother.

An audio play, Class Friend, based on Ray’s story, was appreciated. “It was rehearsed and shot at my home, maintaining all norms of social distancing. It was the first time we presented an audio play,” added Samit Ray.

The messages left by the audience members praised the performers as well as the organisers. Septuagenarian Syamal Kar, who joined from Japan, was thanked profusely by all. “I don’t miss out on such cultural events. I have been a resident of AC Block since 1975. I am now living in Japan for over 30 years but I visit Calcutta regularly. Since the pandemic, the WhatsApp group is the only way I can connect with my old neighbours,” said Kar from Japan.

Hindustan Park resident Madhumita Ghose was all praise too. “I enjoyed the programme. I wish other para communities also learn from them how to bring people together through art,” said the chartered accountant.