The Daily Star: Do you think that there is proper practice of Nazrul songs in our country?

Fatematuz Zohra: Yes, to some extent. But the proper practice that we are talking about or rather demanding is not implemented totally. Their exposure on the media is needed. We want to establish and know the Nazrul songs anew. Patronisation will broaden the scope of the proper practice of Nazrul songs.

People love to listen to Nazrul songs. We perform in many places, both in and outside the country. There is demand and appreciation of Nazrul songs everywhere. But due to less exposure on media our audience is not properly informed and their demands are also not fulfilled accordingly. The records are not preserved properly. Very little initiative is being taken in this regard.

TDS: Many critics say the Nazrul songs are being distorted. What is your opinion about it?

FZ: I have objection to the word 'distortion'. Distortion means to spoil the whole thing. But I do not consider this a distortion, it is only that each one has a different style of singing. So 'variation' and not 'distortion' is taking place.

I don't think any singer distorts the songs. The reason for this confusion is that recording was done in different ways. Composers like Kamal Das Gupta recorded the same song in different ways. This was done in case, the previous tune failed to gain popularity. Another thing is that, it is quite difficult to get the original records. So artistes often buy the records which are easily available at the market, thus giving rise to different tunes.

TDS: Do you think promising Nazrul singers are coming up in our country?

FZ: There are some very promising singers of Nazrul songs. They sing quite well and satisfy the audience. They are gifted and talented but they are not getting media exposure. If the media promotes them, they can become eminent singers in future.