Late singer Khalid was not just melodious when it came to songs, he was also a gold medallist of an Azan competition. His bandmate from “Chime” recalls his “otherworldly” ability to deliver Azan with amicable precision.
During Ramadan of 1988 or 1989, Chime was the top of its popularity. They toured all over Bangladesh. Band members Ashiquzzaman Tulu, Khalid Saifullah , Al-Amin Babu , Imon Souquat, Ikram Babu Chowdhury , Tom Rahman and Aly Sumon were practicing throughout the month. They had to prepare for the stream of shows lined up right after Eid.
One day, during practice at Babu’s place in Nakhal Para, the band took a break during Asr prayers. Azans went off from mosques one after another while the band sat in the balcony talking. After the minars fell silent, a different Azan could be heard.
“We were dumbfounded,” Sumon said. “It felt like an Azan from a different dimension. We went inside the practice pad to find Khalid Bhai giving the Azan from our Montarbo speaker with reverb.”
“It was the best Azan I’ve heard in my entire life,” Sumon said. “Amazingly melodious with pristine pronunciation- we stared at awe. Khalid Bhai with his heart-warming smile said that he won the gold medal as a kid in Gopalganj for Azan.”
Khalid Anwar Saifullah breathed his last on Monday evening due to a heart attack. He was 60. He was laid to rest beside the graves of his parents in Gopalganj and is survived by his wife and son, who live in the USA.
Born in Gopalganj, the singer started his journey in the world of music in 1981. He was the vocalist of a band called “Chime” He joined this band in 1983.
Khalid won the hearts of the audience by singing many popular songs. He is best known for his songs “Shorolotar Protima”, “Himaloy”, “Kono Karonei”, among dozens of other hits during the 90’s and 2000’s.
