Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- The World Cup Opening Committee promises to stage a grand 135-minute spellbinding show for the VVIP guests and fans to spark the opening of the World Cup Cricket Championship at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on February 17.
The 135-minute long opening ceremony will start at 5:50 pm (local time) on the day.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to declare the 14-team 42-day mega event open at a colorful ceremony in the evening.
Director of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Convener of Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of World Cup Cricket Dewan Shafiul Arefin Tutul disclosed this to the reporters on Tuesday.
He said Bangladesh for the first time is going to make a place in the cricket history along with India and Sri Lanka by hosting the ICC Cricket World Cup including hosting the inaugural ceremony.
Bangladesh Cricket Board with the financial support of ICC will expend U$3 million to host the fabulous opening ceremony.
The pre-show will begin at 4.55 with four female and four male singers rendering a song to herald the evening with a promise of more to follow. The main event will start with the arrival of prime minister and other VVIPs.
The opening program has been divided into five parts. In the first part, a beautifully decorated rickshaw named “Lead” will carry 14 captains and it will be followed by members of their 14 teams joining the march past.
The gala programme kicks off with singer Abrar Tipu entering the Bangabandhu National Stadium on a superbly decorated car and singing a ‘welcome song’.
The 6.2-minute-long ‘welcome song’ written by Zulfiqar Russell will be directed by famous music director and singer Ebrar Tipu who will also sing the song along with Mila Kona.
Abrar Tipu who had his schooling from India and England said there will be 18 instruments used including flute, Behala, Tabla, Dhol and Shenai with 40 musicians taking part in it.
India’s celebrated event ‘Symphony of Colours’ and Sri Lanka’s celebrated event ‘The Pearl of Indian Ocean’ will be performed for 20 minutes.
Then a dance program directed by Shamim Ara Nipa and Shibly Mohamnmad will be performed for 20 minutes.
A cultural programme depicting the glorious Language Movement, War of Liberation, Bangabandhu’s March 7 speech, Bengali New Year, cultural dance of Chakma, Rakhine, Marma, Shautal and Garo tribes will be presented by 2,100 school and college students and 350 members of the Armed Forces.
This program is choreographed by famous Indian Santosh Sethji.
Finally, in a well decorated car, Shankar Mahdevan will enter the stadium and sing the theme song composed by Bollywood’s famous team of music directors Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy.
This official theme song of World Cup 2011 has been composed in the three versions of the song titled ‘De Ghumaa Ke’ in Bengali, Hindi and Sinhalese but only Hindi and Bangla will be presented on the inaugural function.
The opening function will be rounded off with a eye catching fire work brought in from China.
Some 7,000 tickets will be available for the opening ceremony which will go on sale on February 5. City branches of Dhaka Bank are likely to sell the tickets, but this is yet to be confirmed.
Rate of tickets: BDT 1,000 for the gallery, BDT 10,000 for VIP and BDT 20,000 for the grandstand.
BBN/SI/AD-02Feb11-12:42 am (BST)
