The popular singer Ferdousi Rahman and Mustafa Zaman Abbasi will be the guests in today’s celebrity talk show Amar Ami on Banglavision. The show will air tonight at 9:05pm. Anchored by Rumana Mallik Munmun and produced by Sazzad Hossain, the renowned musicians will share their personal experiences and future plans with the viewers.
Winner of the Ekushey Padak in 1973, Ferdousi Rahman is the only daughter of folk singer Abbas Uddin. Her music career started under her father’s direction.
She participated as a child artiste in many radio programs, but she first sang for the radio as an adult artiste in 1955. The first released movie where she sang as a playback singer was Ehtesham’s Ei Desh Tomar Amar under the music direction of Khan Ataur Rahman in 1959, followed by Asia in 1960.
In 1964, Rahman’s song was broadcast in the newly established Pakistan Television in erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). She was awarded President’s Pride of Performance Medal in 1965, the Independence Day Award (Shadhinota Dibash Padak) in 1995, Nasiruddin Gold Medal and Film Journalists Award. On 17 July 2009, Rahman was awarded a crest as part of the Gunijon Shongbordhona program. Ferdausi Rahman received the lifetime achievement award 2008 at the Meril-Prothom Alo Award ceremony. Her children’s program Esho Gaan Shikhi, was a program to teach children about music on Bangladesh Television, and the program has been running for 44 years.
Mustafa Zaman Abbasi is the son of Late Abbas Uddin Ahmed and like his father has been an icon of Bengali folk music since decades. He is regarded as the most famous folk singer and leading interpreter of folklore and Sufism in Bangladesh. Abbasi has trained under maestros of Indian classical music such as Ustad Muhammad Hussain Khasru, Ustad Gul Mohammad Khan and others. He has occupied several important posts during his illustrious career. He was Academic Director, Folk Music Research Group for many years and collected a large number of folk songs of Bengal. Was Director General, Bangladesh Shilpokala Academy, Chairman, National Committee on Music, District Governor, Rotary International and more. Presently, he holds the position of Senior Research Scholar at Independent University, Bangladesh.
Abbasi was conferred the Ekushe Padak by the Government of Bangladesh in 1995 for his contribution to music. He has also been honoured with the Apex Foundation Award, Natyashabha Award, Bengal Centenary Award, Abbasuddin Gold Medal, Manik Mia Award, Sylhet Music Award and Lalon Parishad Award.