The New Nation - Internet Edition

Entertainment Report

Ustad Syed Zakir Hossain is the only surviving maestro in the genres 'thumri and dadra' in Bangladesh. The 70-plus Ustad's latest album 'Ab Na Maanat Shyam,' featuring eight tracks (three 'thumris' and five 'dadras'), was launched at the National Music and Dance Centre Auditorium of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on June 8.

Cultural personality Sayeed Ahmed, renowned artiste and music critic Mohammad Asafuddowlah and educationist Dr A Majid Khan attended the album launch that also featured live performances by Ustad Hossain, his family members and disciples. Ustad Hossain was born in 1932, into the Nawab family of Murshidabad. His father Syed Hassan Mirza was the then District Commissioner of Bhagalpur. Raised in a refined cultural atmosphere, Hossain's education in music began under renowned 'Dhrupadia' Shree Tara Das Chakraborty. Hossain was also trained by his uncle Khorshed Mirza. The young student mastered the skills and techniques of 'khayal,' 'thumri' and 'ghazal' under the supervision of classical music maestro Ustad Quader Bakhsh.

At the age of 12, Hossain won in the 'thumri' and 'ghazal' category at the Bahrampur Music Contest. He started singing for Radio Pakistan in 1952 and has been performing for BTV since its inception. The veteran artiste has also been teaching for decades. Ustad Hossain has received several honours including a lifetime achievement award from Shilpakala Academy in 2007.

In his speech, Sayeed Ahmed said, "He (Ustad Hossain) has a sonorous voice and is skilled in 'thumri,' 'dadra' and 'khayal.' He is a creative master innovating his own compositions. The listeners will be highly benefited by his compositions."

Speaking at the programme Mohammad Asafuddowlah, who referred to himself as 'a student of music,' expressed both his contentment and frustration.

He said, "I didn't expect this auditorium to be even half full. This is a pleasant surprise. I'm just being realistic; one hardly gets to attend classical or semi-classical music performances of a certain standard at public venues these days." "What is being passed off as music cannot refine one's senses. I should thank Ustad Hossain's family for taking the initiative to bring out this album. The fact that they couldn't find a sponsor for the album proves that my frustrations are valid. Ustad Hossain should be encouraged for his endeavour at his age. His control over his voice at this age is truly amazing. I've heard few 70-plus singers in the subcontinent who can sustain extended notes, with unwavering voice," he said.

After the speeches, Ustad Hossain rendered some of the songs from the album. 'Thumri' and 'dadra' are lighter forms of Hindustani classical music. When 'dhrupad' lost its audience due to its rigidity and 'khayal' performances were becoming impracticable because of their duration, 'thumri' and 'dadra' became popular and reigned supreme in the 1930s and 1940s.

Among the songs featured in the album, 'Ab Na Maanat Shyam' are - 'Chinat nahi' (dadra), 'Ab na maanat Shyam' (thumri), 'Aaja aaja na ja pardes' (dadra), 'Sowat nindya jagaaye' (thumri), 'Rayen kaate jaag jaag' (dadra) and 'Kahaan gawayo saarey raat' (dadra). Shantonu has done the music arrangement for the album and Surer Mela has produced it. Ustad Hossain's rendition of the 'thumris' and 'dadras' are immaculate as expected.

However, the use of electronic musical instruments like keyboard and octapad did not really go well with semi-classical tunes. Perhaps the use of Sarangi, Esraj or Swarmandal would have been more appropriate.