Abdul Gafur Hali: A legend of Chittagonian folk music

The demise of Abdul Gafur Hali is a huge loss for the cultural arena of Chittagong as well as that of the country.

The legendary lyricist, composer and singer of folk, mystical and local songs passed away at the age of 88 on December 21 last year. He was not only a lyricist, composer and singer but also a playwright and continued his creative activities till death.

Gafur Hali composed over 2,000 local folk, murshidi and maizbhandari songs in his over 65-year music pursuit since 1950s. He was born in Rashidabad village of Patiya upazila in Chittagong in 1929. Since his childhood, Hali was a big fan of jatrapala. He used to attend and enjoy jatrapalas and punthipath (manuscript recitation shows) regularly. He was also a big fan of movies at his early age and used to come to the city by train to enjoy movies in cinema halls. Hali used to inculcate the songs of movies and started to sing in his own voice. Afterwards he was fascinated by mystic songs.

All those things inspired him to emerge as a lyricist, composer and singer in the next part of his life. The songs penned and composed by Hali started to be aired from Chittagong Betar since 1963. He inspired the Freedom Fighters in the Liberation War in 1971 by his songs like “Tor loy aanr loy, no oibo o bhai, aai Bangalee tui Pathan, tor desh aanr desh, dui hazar mile bebodhan”.

Gafur Hali penned and composed many popular songs including “Sona Bondhu Tui Amare Korli Re Dewana”, “Banu re! O Banu!”, “O Shyam Rengun Naw Jaiyo”, “Monero Bagane Phootilo Phool Re”,  “No Jaiyo AaNre Felai Baafor Barit” and “Panjabiwala”.

His mystic songs include “Kon Sadhone Tanre Paoa jai,” “Ischool Khuilachhe Re Maola,” “Dekhe Ja Re Maijbhandare,” “Koto Khela Janore Maola”, and “Cholo Jai Ziyarate Mohsen Auliyar Dorbare”.

Apart from the songs, Gafur Hali also penned six folk plays using his native language of Chittagong. Of the plays “Gulbahar”, “Nilmoni”, “Ashek Bondhu” are notable.

In 2004, Professor Hans Harder of Heidelberg University in Germany published a research book on Gafur Hali.

In 2010, a documentary named “Metropother Gaan” was made on life and the works of Abdul Gafur Hali. Filmmaker Shaibal Chowdhury directed the documentary.