A three-day Radharaman Sangeet Utsab featuring songs of Sylheti dhamail music composer Radharaman Dutta is now on at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Segunbagicha in the city. The festival was officially inaugurated on November 14.

Radharman Sangskriti Charcha Kendra organised the music festival marking the 104th death anniversary of the bard. This is the ninth Radharaman Sangeet Utsab. The first festival was organised in 2011.

This year's festival features discussion, cultural programme, poetry recitation and song rendition. Folklorist Shamsuzzaman Khan was present as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the festival. Senior artistes, singers, elocutionists, social and cultural activists and people from different sections of the society were present at the event.

Among others, Chandana Majumdar, Shahanaz Bely, Narayan Chandra Shil, Anima Mukti Gomes, Biman Chandra Biswas and others performed at the festival on the opening day.

Radharaman Dutta was born on May 25, 1833 in a Kayastha family in village of Keshabpur in Jagannathpur Upazila under Sunamganj District. The youngest son of lyricist Radha Madhab Dutta, Dutta displayed a musical temperament from childhood. The early death of his father led Dutta to seek the approval of religious mentors throughout his life. Dutta's Vaishnavism (worship of Krishna) shaped his musical work and led him to a life of asceticism; he lived for some time in a house that amounted to little more than a seven-square-foot of mud-hut. Dutta was also heavily influenced by the Sufism that infuses Baul culture. Raman died in 1915. He was survived by his only son Bipin Bihari Dutta.