A melodious evening of “Nazrul Geeti” will be presented by the most popular and sacrosanct proponent Ferdous Ara tonight at 6:30pm in the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre. In association with the state bank of India, IGCC is organising this event with Channel i as media partner. In a one-to-one with the artist, she shares her future aspirations and current situation with Dhaka Tribune:
Which songs will you perform today?
I will start with a prayer song named “Bathito Prane Dano Shanti” dedicated to the current situation of country. “Shonka Shunno Lokkho Konthe Bajiche Shonkho Oi,” will be my next choice on the playlist. The students of my music school “Sur Shaptak” will assist me in chorus while I perform both the songs.
My first solo number of the show will be a semi – classical Nazrul song named “Aji Ghum Nohe Nishi Jagoron.” Moreover, I will sing the different genres of Nazrul Sangeet, such as songs related with women’s issue known as “Jhumur Gaan,” childrens song, folk songs, Islamic songs and many more.
Why did you invite your students to perform alongside in your solo-show?
Every teacher has a set of responsibilities towards their pupil, aside from teaching. Providing them with the guidance to choose the right path and promoting them in every opportunity possible is also a part of that responsibility. Giving musical lessons is only a small paradigm of the bigger role of a tutor.
Do you have any special plans for “Nazrul Joyonti”?
I love performing onstage and currently I am well occupied with numerous stage shows. On “Nazrul Joyonti” I will be appearing on Channel i, ATN, NTV, BTV, Channel 4, Desh TV and many other channels, along with several stage performances. Also, I will be releasing my next solo-album from Impress Audio Vision during the special occasion.
Ferdous Ara has been a regular artiste of Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television since 1973 and 1974 respectively and has earned desirable reputation in the field of music on account of her imaginative excellence. Many cassettes and CDs of her music have been released during her long musical career.
In 1985, Sargam released her first cassette comprising of 12 Nazrul songs while in 1986 Nazrul Institute brought out her long play and cassette. Besides, 10 more cassettes on Modern Bangla songs were subsequently released that gained instant popularity among the music lovers across the world.
The talented artist has represented Bangladesh at length, through renditions of her music abroad. She visited New Delhi and Kolkata for performances under ICCR sponsorship in January 2011.
She teaches Nazrul Geeti at the Nazrul Institute and has also lent her voice in many films, plays and documentaries. She has been adorned with several national awards including the Shilpacharya Jainul Abedin Gold medal.
Most notably, she has performed at an International Gala Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 1986.
