"VognoDuut214" <japak@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> NO BRAINER
"VognoDuut214" <japak@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> STOLE AND PASTE
wrote in message news:t-2dnT-w6Zp_hOzVnZ2dnUVZ_qXinZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Akramul Islam
> Popularising the mysticism of Hason Raja
> Sadya Afreen Mallick
>
> Akramul Islam stepped into the spotlight at the young age of 22
with
> the famous song "Shona bondhey amarey deewana korilo, Na jani ki montro
> ****i
> jadu korilo," written by the mystic poet Hason Raja. It was also Islam
who
> had composed the tune for the song and it had stuck to the listener's
> heart
> since.
>
> Islam had been involved in music even prior to his prominence. He
was
> a regular performer of adhunik songs on radio from the late '60s, even
> though it was no secret that his heart was set on taking the stage
through
> the rich melodious folk music that seemed to have cast a spell on him
ever
> since he first listened to the deeply philosophical lyrics of Hason
Raja.
>
> Hason Raja, was born in 1854 to a Zamindar family near Sunamganj,
> Sylhet. History suggests that much of his youth was spent in
materialistic
> pursuits. After the death of his father Dewan Ali Raja, Hason became
> responsible for overseeing his family's vast property at an early age.
> Despite his age, he proved to be a very successful Zamindar, not only in
> administering the estate but also setting up a number of local schools,
> religious organisations, and providing for the needy in his community.
At
> this stage, Hason Raja started to shun his worldly pleasures and went
into
> a
> soul-searching phase. He started to question and search for answers to
> deeply rooted spiritual ideology. It was this mental awakening that
drove
> him to compose philosophical works of literature that opened a whole new
> dimension in contem****ary thinking.
>
> Akramul Islam had stumbled upon Hason Raja's work almost by fate.
It
> was during the Liberation War in 1971, when Islam met Taimur Raja, the
> grandson of Hason Raja. The timing coincided with Islam's search for a
new
> dimension in music that he could perform on the radio. Islam's encounter
> with Taimur Raja seemed almost heaven sent. The mutual respect for folk
> songs brought the two together, and at one point Taimur Raja lent Islam
a
> book, which contained 191 rare songs written by his grandfather. It was
no
> surprise that Islam found the kind of expressionism he was long
searching
> for and in the time that followed, Islam found his new dimension in
music
> through the works of Hason Raja.
>
> Armed with Hason Raja's literature, Islam whole-heartedly started
> working to popularise this form of music. He used his new position as
> programme producer at the Sylhet radio station in 1974 as a launch pad
for
> his work. The songs, including Lokey boley boley rey ghor bari balanai
> amar;
> Shona bondhey amare deewana korilo; Ankhi mudia dekho roop; Nesha lagilo
> rer
> banka dui noyone nesha lagilo rey, quickly became very popular across
the
> country even though they were composed in traditional Sylheti dialect.
> These
> and many more of the works based on mysticism and spiritual romanticism
> came
> to form the bedrock of Hason Raja's folk songs and were subsequently
> published in his book Hason Udas.
>
> Later, when Islam joined the Transcription Service of Radio
> Bangladesh
> Dhaka, the erstwhile Director, Shahidul Islam, also a great enthusiast
of
> folk melodies, took interest in collecting the original songs that were
> fading fast. Akramul Islam in the latter part of his career also
travelled
> to several countries in Europe and UAE singing his favourite Hason Raja
> songs. But all the effort to recover and preserve the songs went in vain
> since the spools simply decayed over the years due to negligence by the
> concerned authority at the radio stations.
>
> Currently, the Vice President of Bangladesh Loko Sangeet Parishad
> (BLSP), Akramul Islam says, "It's a pity that Hason Raja's work was
> allowed
> to deteriorate from the heights in the early '70s when it seemed the
songs
> were on everyone's lips. However we must credit the performers who
helped
> spread Hason Raja's work such as noted singers Ujir Mian, Bidit Lal Das
> and
> Aarti Dhar.
>
> "BLSP, established a decade ago, has been relentlessly carrying out
> programmes to draw the enthusiasts towards the folk genre. Under the
able
> leader****p of Indramohon Rajbon****, the founding president, several
> programmes such as songs of 100 poets, participated by 80 folk artistes
> was
> held last year. This year we hosted the 82nd programme, and such was the
> popular appeal of the songs that the audience, from all walks of life,
> wouldn't let the curtains close on the show till the wee hours of the
> morning," continued a zealous Islam.
>
> Despite the success of the programme, Islam is frustrated at the
lack
> of sponsor****p needed to fully sup****t the work of Hason Raja. "As our
> media
> sector continues to flourish both nationally and internationally, now is
> the
> op****tune time to dedicate time and resources into reviving the work of
> the
> great poet," according to Islam.
>
> "It's a matter of concern for me that currently in the name of
> popularising the traditional songs, the use of contem****ary beat and
> orchestration has modified the melody and taken away the original
essence
> of
> Hason Raja's work. This not only detracts the audience but also weakens
> the
> original feel of the songs. Similarly, of the several books published so
> far
> on the great poet, not all appear authentic," says Islam.
>
> Hason Raja died in 1922, years before his contribution to the
Bengali
> poetry was mentioned in lectures at Oxford University by Nobel laureate
> Rabindranath Tagore.
>
> In this age of global media, if we want Hason Raja to be once more
> the
> topic of discussions, it is up to the current generation of artistes and
> patrons to respect the work of the legendary poet and properly nurture
it
> for posterity.
>
>
>
|
