French President Emmanuel Macron visited musician and lyricist Rahul Ananda of the singing group “Joler Gaan” at his private studio in the capital’s Dhanmondi house on Sunday, and spent time enjoying their music and chatting with the group.
Macron was accompanied by the Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud, alongside the French Ambassador to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy, the French cultural institution Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) Director François Grosjean, and other higher officials representing both countries.
The president presented a pen and promised Rahul to write songs and poems with this pen. “I’ll write about nature and life. He will listen to that music one day,” Rahul Ananda said.
The French president made the visit after dinner and stayed there for over one and a half hours. He interacted with Rahul Ananda's family including his wife Urmila Shukla and son Tota, and three other Bangladeshi artists — Ashfika Rahman, Kamruzzaman Swadhin and Afroza Sara.
Apart from listening to Rahul's soulful, homely rendition of Bengali music including songs such as "Ami Banglay Gaan Gai" and a medley of Lalon songs, the French president also explored various musical instruments that Rahul Ananda makes and plays as an instrumentalist.
Marking this visit, Rahul Ananda alongside his family decorated the entrance of his 140-year-old Dhanmondi residence with flowers. During his short briefing with the media after the French President's historic visit to his home, Rahul Ananda said that it was a brief yet beautiful cultural exchange between two artists, as the French President is also a musician by passion and a music enthusiast.
Informing the media about how the contact was made, the artist said that back in June, a multidisciplinary musical and theatrical performance titled "Made in Bangladesh" was staged at the Alliance Francaise de Dhaka, in celebration of World Music Day 2023 - in which he collaborated with Belgian artist Max Vandervorst, and the French president got interested after learning about this performance.
"I feel like and call myself a bird, and I am also an instrumentalist and I make my own instruments, so the tree is a pivotal part in my artistic activism, and I am actively involved in tree plantation across our country. The French president lauded this initiative and he also learned how to play the 'Ektara' I presented to him, and I was surprised to find out that he is a fast learner," Rahul Ananda told the media.
“Who has never heard of Kazi Nazrul Islam, Rabindranath Tagore or even Firoza Begum? These names ring in our ears in every street, their spirit permeating every single corner of Bangladesh. Like Bangladesh, France is a country deeply proud of its cultural heritage,” the French embassy said.
“In this sense, we founded the Alliance Française of Dhaka, a place at the crossroads of this cultural exchange that became an essential part of Dhaka's cultural life since it was founded in 1959. Every year, Alliance Française of Dhaka organizes more than 20 exhibitions which attract no less than 30,000 visitors.
“It also broadcasts films, shows and concerts, which attract 10,000 spectators. Committed to promoting the language of Molière, the establishment offers top quality French classes with no fewer than 6,000 pupils a year. This vibrant cultural place is one of the biggest symbols of our cooperation with Bangladesh,” the embassy said before the arrival of the President.
This brief two-day visit of the French President Emanuel Macron became historic since the last official visit by a French President to Bangladesh dates back to 1990.