Watch: First Bangladeshi female drummer takes to the stage after 44 years

She performed in a show with band Spandan just one year after the independence of Bangladesh. After a 44-year hiatus, she picked up her drumsticks at a show held at the Teacher Student Centre, University of Dhaka, where it all began. Georgina Huq was asked to play with the band Lampost on the night of December 15. She played the drums on George Harrison’s Bangladesh with the band, and later sang the Bob Dylan track Blowin’ in the wind (video above).

Georgina became acquainted with band music in her teenage years. Her older brothers had formed a band with their friends. It was Sabbir Kadir, the drummer, whose playing moved Georgina to try her hands at drumming. She would practise in secret with makeshift drums made from home utensils. When her brothers took a break, she would sneak in to use their drum set. Her latent talent as a drummer could not be suppressed. Her skills were something to revel at, and her name became widely known.

After the Liberation War, a band called Spondon was formed in 1972 with the patronage of Sheikh Kamal, the eldest son of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. On December 15, 1972, a concert was arranged at TSC to commemmorate the first anniversary of the Victory Day.

At the age of 16, Georgina Huq emerged as the first female drummer of Bangladesh in the show. Afterwards, she was unable to continue to perform in Bangladesh and moved abroad. She performed sporadically on request, but never made it an integral part of her life.

This article was originally published in the Dhaka Tribune.