Fahim Hossain Chowdhury: The marvels of Rabindra Sangeet
Novera Deepita
Fahim Hossain Chowdhury, a talented Tagore singer, enjoys a wide range of Tagore's songs--whether based on nature, worship and love. In the worship genre one of his favourites is Jiboney amar joto ananda. Among the seasonal songs, his tastes run to Madhuro bashanta eshechhe, Aj sraboner amontraney and Ami ki gan gabo je.According to Fahim, most artistes prefer to sing the songs of monsoon, summer and spring. The features that attract him are the lyrics and themes of the songs. He gives pride of place to the style of singing. In his words, 'If the artiste cannot give a proper rendering of the song, the song will not be appreciated by the listeners.' Among the different styles charted out by the mentors of Tagore songs, Fahim follows the singing style of Sagar Sen and Chinmoy Chattyopadhaya. He says he appreciates the soulful singing of these artistes. 'Not all the songs of eminent singers are my favourites. Besides, some songs are better than others. For instance, I prefer Chinmoy's love songs, while the devotional songs are well rendered by Sagar Sen.' Fahim also thinks that there are a few songs that are suited for different ages. In his view, songs like Momo dukkher shadhon and Jotobar alo jwalate chai are more appropriate for mature listeners. Fahim is strongly against the remixing and remaking culture of contemporary songs. And about the Tagore songs he suggests that even if the Biswabharati copyright has been lifted, the artistes can never take full freedom in singing a Tagore song.' Any kind of distortion should be guarded against. Only the style of singing can be changed not the lyric or the music.' But still Fahim holds the view that modern instruments can be used to attract the young generation. These musical inputs should be given by matching the lyric and tune of the song. According to Fahim, Tagore songs have a wide following in Bangladesh. Despite the mushrooming of new organisations, many promising artistes are appearing in the scene. But there are certain problems, like the private channels are repeatedly telecasting a limited number of songs. It is about time, that the authority should broadcast the other uncommon songs by Tagore. Government patronage leaves a lot to be desired. For instance, theatre halls are not regularly available to stage programmes, the hall rents are high and the Tagore singers are less preferred as cultural representatives abroad. The artistes also have some responsibilities, for instance they should prepare themselves suitably before releasing any albums. In comparison with the total scenario of West Bengal, the practice of Tagore songs is similar to that in Bangladesh. As Fahim says, 'The private channels of West Bengal are broadcasting programmes of our singers which is a positive sign.'
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