THROUGH THE EYES OF KIRAN CHANDRA ROY
An eminent Bangladeshi folk singer and a television personality, Kiran Chandra Roy is also known as a lyricist and music composer. He was a student of Bengali Literature at Dhaka University and Jagannath University. He took his formal music lessons from the noted singer and music composer Khandaker Nurul Alam for 14 years. He released over 25 solo albums, rendered playback in over 20 Bengali films and his Dhaka Gramophone Records are two in numbers. His wife Chandana Majumdar is a noted singer of Bangladesh and their daughter Shatabdi Roy is also stepping towards music. He achieved the prestigious Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer and the BACHSAS Best Singer Award for his outstanding performance in the film 'Dukhai'.
INSPIRATION
The person who has bestrewed the seeds of music in me is my beloved late grandfather Prem Charan Roy. He was truly my first inspiration. And of course, my parents are the great inspirations of my life. My uncle Provat Kumar Roy has always been very motivational in flourishing my potential in music. Moreover, I consider myself a very lucky person because I had some great instructors in school, college and university who were extremely supportive. My beloved wife, a noted singer of our country, Chandana Majumdar; and our one-and-only daughter Shatabdi Roy are also my lifetime inspirations.
PHILOSOPHY
In my view, only money cannot keep a person alive; it cannot be the center of one's aspiration as well. I always love to serve the people of our country. That's why I have chosen music as a way to promote the culture of our nation. The profound respect and love that I receive from my audiences has always inspired me a lot. If I can do something good for the people of our country, it would be a great achievement of my life.
VIEWS ON HIS PROFESSION
Music is the achievement which can be won through Sufism. To me, nothing is more precious than music. It is something divine in which I found the meaning of life. Many of the singers from our young generation are really very talented and I appreciate their effort and dedication toward music. But they have a common tendency to earn fame through shortcuts which cannot last very long and is certainly very harmful for both them and our culture. Music comes from passion. One must learn some basic skills and knowledge about music to become a sustainable singer. To do this, taking proper lessons from instructors is mandatory. There is no alternative to constant practice. I would love to warmly welcome the new generation of our country to keep our rich culture safe and secured.
FUTURE PLAN
My everlasting thirst for music never makes me tired. Moreover, to practice music is like a meditation through which a person can wear the colossal grace of music. My future plan is to establish a musical atmosphere. For this, the cooperation from the government is highly needed. If the government cooperates in the private sectors as well as the public organizations, it will bring a lot of changes in our society. I think the academies of music must have archives to preserve the raw songs and they should also provide good instructors to teach the students properly about the music and the history behind it. I believe that the culture of a nation is its identity. Therefore, I would love to promote our root songs as well as our rich heritage throughout the world.
BOOKS
Among the many books I have read, basically two types of books enchant me the most: the ones by our Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and the ones regarding the folk literature of our country. Moreover, I tend to like any books on music.
MUSIC
Music has a divine spirit which never fails to amaze me. Above all, I love the folk songs of our country the most. Additionally, the classical music as well as Thumri-Tappa, are my favorites. The precious oldest form of Bengali music, Podaboli Kirtan, is also my favorite.
FILMS
I have watched a lot of movies in my younger days. I also gave my voice in many Bengali films. But nowadays, I do not watch movies that much, yet I often watch some TV serials. To me, Pather Panchali directed by Satyajit Ray and written by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay is the best movie among all that I have watched in my life.
IDOLS
My first idol is my Guru, the great musicologist Khandaker Nurul Alam. The magician of music Sachin Dev Barman and the incomparable Purna Das Baul are my other idols. I also strongly admire the great artiste of our country Rathindranath Roy.