Nagar Baul ANUSHEH

Anusheh Anadil's biggest plus point is her character, which is reflected in everything she is a part of – her music, her projects and folk art through Jatra, her lifestyle and all her works. On her website, Anusheh describes herself as a skeptic, rebel, mother, lover, dreamer, poet, designer, singer, and says that her search for understanding has brought her close to the music, art and philosophy that lies at the root of her birth place. But if you get to know her a little better, talk to her for a little while, you'll realize that her defining character flows through every other quality that she has. Her songs come not from her vocal chords, but from her heart, from her being. She is one with them before the words leave her tongue. And the same is true for the work she is so engrossed in now, at Jatra. To Anusheh, whose music and singing through the band 'Bangla' had taken music lovers of Bangladesh by storm back in the early 2000s, it's not the grammatical and lyrical correctness that is the heart of the song, but rather the philosophy behind the words, the message which led to the thoughts being conveyed. It has to come from the heart. She follows Lalon, and not everyone can enter into the 'Sadhu Shongho' community of Lalon followers. She considers herself lucky that she is a part of it. That community has accepted her only because of her understanding of Lalon and his philosophy – they consider her worthy. How does she balance between her life as a baul and her urban life as a businessperson? She says that is exactly what her life is all about –about always being in transition between her two lives. She considers this the most important learning. Both lives are important to her, and she thinks her greatest success will come when she finds a harmonious balance between these two lives. Her fans often complain about her absence from the music scene, or rather complain about the low frequency of her active presence in the world of music. In response to this, Anusheh says that the music that comes from her soul is the real her. She only sings only when she has fully internalized a song, when it comes naturally, along with the background philosophy – that is when she finds herself one with the song. This makes her very selective – and as a result, she doesn't have a lot of albums or singles out there, unlike most artists. The same selective nature is prominent when she collaborates with others; hence she is seen to work with few, closely-knit group of people. To Anusheh, being an artist is not about just the music and songs – they are the mere outputs that we see. Being an artist is a state of mind, a state that transpires from playing instruments and signing to every other sphere of life – to significant relationships, to work, to how one makes decisions and looks to the future. How one hopes and dreams. “Shobar upor manush shotti,” says Anusheh, and she sees her life as a quest to understanding human beings, their complicated thoughts and emotions, and the planet we live in, and how these are all inexorably linked.