Nazrul singer Rafiqul Islam passes away

Veteran Nazrul Sangeet artiste Rafiqul Islam passed away at 11pm on October 1, at the age of 76. The singer has been suffering from old-age complications for quite sometime. He was laid to rest yesterday at Azimpur graveyard. He is survived by his wife, four daughters, two sons and a host of relatives and fans. He was born at Muljan village under Manikganj sadar Upazila.

Rafiqul Islam started singing from his childhood. Initially, he received training in Nazrul Sangeet at Chhayanaut Sangeet Bidyaytan and later at Nazrul Academy from where he graduated. Eminent Nazrul Sangeet artiste Sheikh Lutfar Rahman was among his gurus. With a distinct style, Rafiqul Islam contributed much to Nazrul Sangeet.

“Seasoned singer Rafiqul Islam, having a good command over classical music, would perform Kazi Nazrul Islam's ghazal-ang and raga-based songs with authority. His rendition of Islamic songs was well-appreciated by the discerning audience. We lost an introvert yet a dedicated artiste. May he rest in eternal peace,” said eminent Nazrul exponent Sadya Afreen Mallick.       

“I trained under him at regular intervals,” said Yasmeen Mushtari. “His command over Nazrul style was outstanding. The CD that I recorded under his supervision was well received, for which I am very thankful to him,” she said.

He was a special grade artiste of both Bangladesh Betar (radio) and Bangladesh Television (BTV). The artiste received several awards for his contributions to music. Marking the 112th birth anniversary of our National Poet, Nazrul Sangeet Shilpi Parishad honoured Rafiqul Islam and Khalid Hossain for their contributions in popularising Nazrul Sangeet in 2011.