The 10th edition of Bhawaiya Fest was held on Sunday evening at Shilpakala Academy, marking the 118th birth anniversary of Abbasuddin Ahmed, known as the 'Bhawaiya King'.

Bhawaiya Angan, a research and performance institution dedicated to nurturing Bhawaiya song, arranged the programme hosted by its Chairperson Salma Mostafiz.

Guests at the event included Md Enamul Haque MP, legendary Bhawaiya artist-researcher and younger son of Abbasuddin, Mustafa Zaman Abbasi, and Bangladesh Betar Director General Narayan Chandra Shil.

Speaking on the soulful creations of the 'Bhawaiya King', Abbasi said: "Abbasuddin Ahmed was the creator of a whole new dimension in the history of Bangla folk music. He nurtured Bhawaiya songs within his soul."

He criticised the television channels for not promoting Bhawaiya songs.

Bhawaiya Angan founding Director AKM Mostafizur Rahman said Rangpur is the motherland of Bhawaiya music. "It got popularity in the mainstream thanks to legendary artist Abbasuddin Ahmed. We're building 'Abbasuddin Mancha' in Rangpur's Bhawaiya Chattar in his honour," he said.

A workshop on Bhawaiya song was conducted in the afternoon by Rahman. It was attended by 50 artists.

In the second part of the day-long celebration, Bhawaiya performers put on an amazing show. Twenty-five artists from Dhaka, Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Shariatpur, Cumilla and Gazipur paid tributes to Abbasuddin through their performances.