“Collecting musical instruments is my passion”

Kumar Bishwajit's sonorous voice and catchy melodies have earned him in a place in the hearts of every music-loving Bangladeshi. The man behind numerous hits is also an avid instrumentitian, and has a knack for new musical sounds. The ever-smiling Bishwajit recently spoke to The Daily Star about something very close to his heart. Excerpts from the conversation:
Among my many hobbies, collecting musical instruments tops the list. I'm an aficionado of musical tools and try to collect any unique example wherever I find it. I recently went to Japan, but unfortunately couldn't collect any new instrument due to time constraints. Other than this, I've never failed to collect musical instrumentss whenever I traveled abroad.
In my collection, I have different types of cowbells, African instruments, two kinds of shakers, wood sticks etc. When my traveling companions are busy with their shopping, I spend my time searching for instruments.

One amusing experience that comes to mind regarding by hobby, was while I was buying an instrument from a roadside fair in Canada. I wanted to buy a wooden instrument, which had another object attached to it. But the seller kept on insisting that I should pay extra for that wooden object. We started arguing; but someone else came and assured the seller that the object was part of the instrument. The seller apologised and offered me a treat. I had a good laugh over the incident.
Many people may not know this, but for every song I record, I play my own instrumental parts. Songs like “Choturdola” , “Ekhon Onek Raat”, Pagol Bolo”, “Tore Putuler Moto Kore Shajiye”, “Jekhane Shimanto Tomar”, “ Ekdin Bangali Chhilam Re” -- all  these songs feature my own touches with the instrument. Collecting musical instruments is not only my hobby, it's my passion.