Almost 190 crore people across the world watched Live Aid concert held on July 13, 1985 to raise charity funds. Irish singer, songwriter Bob Geldof and Britsh music producer-lyricist Midge Ure orgranised the show in a bid to extend humanitarian hands for the 2 years long famine-hit Ethiopians.
The concert was staged in two countries. The venues were in Wembley Stadium of London, and John F Kennedy Stadium of Philadelphia, US. It was also telecast live at 148 other countries. It is believed that 40 percent of the world population participated in the charity show.
However, more than a decade earlier, Beatles guitarist George Harrison and his friends took over the Madison Square Garden for Bangladesh.
The day was August 1, 1971. The battle for liberation was being fought along with a huge refugee crisis, poverty and hunger.
Bangladesh is observing the Golden Jubilee of Independence. The year also marks 50 years of Concert for Bangladesh. George Harrison and Pundit Ravi Shankar of India pioneered the tradition of charity concert on that day.
The gig is an ever memorable event in history. It not only created awareness against the persecution of Pakistan occupation forces, but also paved the way for raising funds for the refugees.
Apart from George Harrison, the first charity performance also featured former Beatles drummer Ringo Star, Nobel peace laureate and singer Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russel and badn---Bandfinger.
The main orchestrators of the event were Ravi Shakar and Ali Akbar Khan who upheld the displaced, hunger-hit refugee situation to George Harrison.
Harrison sang a brand-new song in the concert. It was `Bangla Desh’. The request of Ravi Shankar was well represented in the lyrics--‘My friend came to me with sadness in his eyes/ He told me that he wanted help before his country dies.
Madison Square experienced the maiden fusion of Western pop and Indian classic with an attendance of 44 thousand audiences. A fund of 2 and half lac was raised.
On the 50th Independence Day, George Harrison and Pundit Ravi Shankar, take love from Bangladesh.
-20240506141509.jpg)
