<i>Remembering the folk maestro Abdul Alim</i>

Asgar Alim sings at the programmePhoto: STAR

Department of Music and Dance of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) arranged a discussion and musical soiree on October 29 at its Auditorium. The programme was a homage to the eminent folk singer Abdul Alim.
Abdul Alim possessed a powerful voice that immortalised Bangladeshi folk songs. His unique style highlighted the essence of our rural tunes and mesmerised the audience.
Born on July 27, 1931 in Murshidabad, West Bengal, Alim migrated to Dhaka after the Partition and joined the radio as a staff artiste. During his illustrious musical career, he performed at a number of music conferences and received several prestigious awards. The Ekushey Padak and Bangla Academy Award were conferred to him posthumously.
The programme at Shilpakala was presided over by Kamrul Hasan ndc, director general of BSA. Veteran radio artiste Ashraful Alam and prominent folk singer Indra Mohon Rajbongshi spoke on Alim.
Sunil Chandra Das, director, Department of Music and Dance, BSA, inaugurated the programme.
Indra Mohon Rajbongshi, in his speech, fondly remembered Abdul Alim as his “guru”. “He was an unpretentious man. Hs personal life was even simpler. But people still remember him for the lengths his powerful voice reached.”
“An introvert to the core, he used to practice in the open fields. Maybe that's why his singing truly captures the essence of unadulterated nature of rural Bengal. Those who have not heard his singing should consider themselves 'unfortunate',” Rajbongshi added.
Kamrul Hasan said. “Abdul Alim's songs are extremely popular among the masses of our country. It is alarming that many of his memorable songs are now on the verge of being forgotten. To deprive our young generation of this rich cultural heritage should be considered a crime. It is high time that we do something about this issue.”
A lively musical programme followed the discussion featuring performances by Asgar Alim, the maestro's son; Mina Barua, Abdul Karim Khan, Nasrin Ferdous Chaman and Sarder Mohammed Rahmatullah.
Upon request from the audience, Indra Mohon Rajbongshi also performed at the musical programme. The enthusiastic audience was heard singing along with artistes, the evergreen Abdul Alim classics including, Chirodin pushlam ak achin pakhi, Ei je duniya kihsero lagia, Shorbonasha Padma nodi, Holudia pakhi and more.