Login Latest Bangladesh Politics World Business Opinion Sports Entertainment Jobs Lifestyle Video Search E-paper Eng Login Bangladesh Remembering Dinu Billah: Discussion on the History of Mass Songs and the Liberation War Staff Reporter Dhaka Published: 18 September 2026, 19:53 Mamunur Rashid speaking at the event organized in memory of Dinu Billah. Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka. 18 September 2026 Photo: Courtesy of the organizers. Freedom fighter, writer, and researcher Dinu Billah preserved various information about the history of mass songs and cultural movements. A memorial event was held in the capital, featuring discussions on his book 'Milit Pran'er Kolorob,' which focuses on the history of mass songs, and remembering him. Speakers in the discussion stated that the book is not merely a history of mass songs, but also a crucial document of a period's cultural movement and public participation.
On Friday, this memorial event and discussion meeting were jointly organized by Dhaka Theatre and Anannya Prakashani in the seminar room of the National Theatre Hall at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Monirul Haque, proprietor of Anannya Prakashani, delivered the welcome speech at the event. Cultural personality Mofidul Haque, playwright and director Mamunur Rashid, mass song researcher and Dhaka University teacher Saim Rana, and Dinu Billah's life partner Mahbuba Khanam participated in the discussion. Cultural personality Nasir Uddin Yousuff moderated the event.
Playwright and director Mamunur Rashid said, ‘Milit Pran'er Kolorob is not just a history of mass songs, but also a significant document of the cultural environment of a particular era. Alongside details of when, where, and how each song was created and performed, Dinu also included his personal experiences. As a result, information about many lost artists, composers, and songs has emerged in the book.’
Addressing the new generation, Mamunur Rashid said, ‘Dinu Billah cannot be brought back, nor can many others. However, it is necessary to dream of returning to that era and its cultural practices. This book provides further research opportunities for the new generation. Through such research, the values, cultural movements, and history of self-sacrifice during the Liberation War of that time must be conveyed to the new generation.’
Remembering Dinu Billah, Mofidul Haque said that Dinu Billah was a significant part of the cultural environment that developed in the second half of the sixties.
