A Bangladeshi girl went viral on the internet for singing Rabindra Sangeet on Pakistan’s national channel, ARY. Musician Sheikh Dina, the NSU graduate now residing in the USA, told us the story circulating on social media.
“I met this group of Pakistani musicians Ahsan Bari, Gul Ahmed, and Turab Ali in the UK, who have a band named Sounds of Kolachi. We met while we performed in the UK for Birmingham Contemporary Music Group,” said the artiste. “As we were discussing Pakistani artists performing at the Bangladeshi folk festival, they said that they wish to invite some Bangladeshi artists to perform at their festival as well.”
Deep inside, the young singer did not want to miss this opportunity. “I felt it would be a great chance to present my mother tongue in Pakistan.”
Dina is pursuing her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) – Business Analytics at Midwestern State University in Texas. After she received the official invitation from the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA), she was still in a dilemma as people around her were making negative remarks about her visit to Pakistan. “I was discouraged, and some even told me I would struggle to get a Visa for many countries, especially the US. However, these were all stereotypes, as I am sitting in the US and talking to you right now. I believe an artiste’s world is limitless.”