Representing Bangladesh in World Music Day 2016

A true artist who lives and breathes music has represented Bangladesh in World Music Day 2016, held at the Indian Museum in Kolkata recently. The first day I met this versatile artist Tanveer Alam Shawjeeb in his studio, he mesmerized me with chanting gong, a rare metal bowl like instrument with which he made ethereal music and my heart almost skipped a beat. Listening to that sublime sound I was thinking of the famous saying of a world class Indian classical dancer who said dance to the light of the temple. Shawjeeb has an amazing voice, trained well with classical background and he can play the piano like a virtuoso, his only love he says. What else he touches with music? The guitar, tabla, cajon, kazoo, banjo, dotara, ukulele and mouth organ. We are proud that such a dynamic artist has represented Bangladesh at this prestigious festival. 

Borgi, an organization in Kolkata headed by Saumya Choudhury, planned the World Music Day festivals in  2013 under the banner of Alliance Francaise du Bengale. Since then the festival has grown into the biggest mass festival in India with almost 700 musicians participating to celebrate World Music Day. This year following Shawjeeb's performance, Purnadas Baul has rendered his presentation. The program was telecasted live in Durdarshan.

Shawjeeb is inspired by Bach, Mozart as well as the fertile soil of his motherland. When asked how he had planned his 45 minute presentation, the well spoken artist said he had planned to begin with Nazrul, our national poet who also embodies versatility. Then he portrayed the different moods of our rich folk heritage, from romantic to birohi.  He scheduled to take his audience into a journey to lush green Bangladesh with its simple kindhearted warm people with an invitation woven in romantic melodic to raga based classical renditions. He has also highlighted the artists who inspire him and represent who he is artistically. Another unique feature of the performance was that Shawjeeb sang only with his piano. He has accompanied musical stalwarts like Manna De, Anup Ghoshal, Shipra Basu as a musician.

The artist is enriched in different genres of world music starting from Irish to heavy metal. His vision is a beautiful one of the exchange of musical dreams and tunes across nations. Equipped with a bachelors in Sound Engineering from Toronto Film School of Canada he is experimenting with different ways to mingle and break the musical barriers. Shawjeeb hoped to exchange his musical ideas with other fellow musicians in the auspicious occasion of meeting of musical minds at The World Music Day. His latest album "Latim" has been well received by the young listeners of both the Bengals. To criticize his work, one would say sometimes he is in a rush and needs to pause a bit and savor the moment in music. That will surely come with time and as he goes through life. An artist whose voice glides effortlessly in classical based songs yet sounds very modern in Jibon mukhi songs; his versatility is like the seasons of Bengal. I sincerely hoped that Shawjeeb would mesmerize the audience like he did me at his studio- to take his audience at the Kolkata Museum to a memorable journey to beautiful Bangladesh, with its luster, magic, beauty and opulent music. 

God speed, Shawjeeb!

The author is a singer and writer. 

She is an Engineer by profession and the rest by passion.