Description

Live at 432 with Ahsan Bari is a monthly series of innovative concerts where the best musicians from Pakistan and beyond are invited to join Ahsan on stage as he intricately guides them out of their comfort zones and encourages them to create and perform like you've never seen before.

In part 2 of the series, Dina Shaikh makes the trip all the way from Bangladesh to join Ahsan at Club432 on the 6th of March as they joyously explore the folk melodies and progressive musical styles of our estranged brotherlands.

'Shaikh Dina' has fast risen to international stardom as the figurehead of Bangladesh's neo sufi musical movement.

A student of Business Administration at North South University Dhaka, Dina spearheaded the revival of traditional folk music at

campuses of privately-run higher educational institutes with her band 'Ektara', and from there, there was no looking back. Dina has gained cross border popularity though traditional folk hits ‘Assam Jabo" and ‘Dilona Dilona’,

“I believe in Sufism. As a great follower of Jalauddin Rumi, I have an emended liking towards folk music including – Qawali and Baul songs" Dina described a philosophy of Jalauddin Rumi saying, “In the house of lovers, the music never stops. The walls are made of songs and the floor dances".

“To me my biggest achievement is that through my music I have created a place in people’s hearts. People know me and love me for the soul music I have presented them. I always look for presenting soul music to my listeners,” Dina says.

“Doing music was not easy for a girl like me. I had to fight a lot, struggle a lot in trying to pursue my music. It is because i belong from a conservative family of Chattogram where people are not allowed to delve into cultural activities like singing or dancing... I had to fight with the society as well as my family for perusing my dream,” Dina explains.