Late music maestro neglected in hometown

Legendary classical musician Barin Mazumder seems to be a forgotten hero in his hometown while his two sons are now engaged in a legal battle to get back their ancestral property that were lost to illegal occupier long ago.

“Barin took classical music to a new height in the subcontinent. But no memorial museum, library or music centre has been set up in his hometown Pabna to make him familiar to the younger generation,” said Abul Kashem, president of Sammilito Sangskritik Jote's Pabna chapter.

“We feel proud that a great musician like Barin Mazumder was born in our district. It is our responsibility to keep his memory alive,” said Mostafizur Rahman Rusel, secretary of Pabna Drama Circle.

Born into a wealthy zamindar family at Radhanagar of Pabna on February 15 in 1921, Barin later took music as his passion.

He established a music college in Dhaka in 1963.

Years before his death on October 8, 2001, land grabbers occupied their ancestral properties covering around 1237 decimals of land while a small portion of the Mazumder family's land is being used as an endowed property.

“My father was a devotee of music. Taking the advantage of his reluctance about property, land grabbers occupied our vast lands by making fake documents,” Partha Sarathi Mazumder, son of Barin Mazumder, said in a tone of lamentation.

Partha and his brother Suvashish Mazumder Bappa, popularly known as Bappa Mazumder, are now engaged in a legal battle to get back their ancestral lands.

Now the family members do not have any property in Pabna, where Barin's forefathers contributed to establishing Radhanagar Mazumder Academy, Pabna Edward College and a few other institutions for spreading the light of education.

Contacted, Pabna's Deputy Commissioner Jasim Uddin said the district administration will extend cooperation if any individual or organization takes initiative to build museum, library or cultural centre in memory of Barin Mazumder.