http://www.newagebd.com/2006/may/26/may26/xtra_inner5.html
Khairul Anam Shakil isn’t just one of Bangladesh’s leading exponents of Nazrulgeeti, he is the new face of Chayanaut, one of the leading cultural organisations and music schools of Dhaka. Robab Rosan interviewed him to fathom the status of Nazrulgeeti in Bangladesh
Is there a special style of rendition or
‘gayaki’ for Nazrulgeeti?
I grew up listening to the songs of traditional singers of
Nazrul songs, like Gyanendra Goswami, Indu Bala, Angur Bala and others, so
listeners get a touch of tradition in my ‘gayaki’. But I try to balance
this with newer trends because, I feel, our audience may not unconditionally
accept the old style of singing. I do this by using modern instruments, but
avoid western influence.
What is the trend among other singers of Nazrulgeeti?
In Bangladesh, many singers in this generation follow an
Indian style which is replete with inputs from raga music. Also the accent of
the Bengalis in West Bengal is different from our’s, therefore, the sound of
the songs seems rather different. I cannot say what is right and what is
wrong. On the other hand, some other singers try to strictly follow the
traditional style as they learn the compositions from old recordings.
What about singers in West Bengal?
In West Bengal, I think, they are not too careful about the
historicity and the tune of the songs. Research on Nazrul is mostly being
carried on in Bangladesh. Through the Nazrul Institute we have got a good
number of old recordings, recorded under the direct supervision of Kazi Nazrul
Islam or some years after his ailment, and the researchers have been working
on them for quite a few years. We are carefully singing the songs keeping
undistorted the the tune, composition and of course, the lyrics. But I think
the singers in West Bengal do not pay hundred percent care in singing the
songs of Nazrul.
There the singers are singing all sorts of songs, I mean, a
singer of modern songs also sing the songs of Nazrul. But in our country, the
singers are rather specific in singing a particular genre of songs. In recent
years, some of our singers have specialized specifically in Nazrulgeeti.
Comparatively, the works on Nazrul Sangeet are mostly being held in
Bangladesh. There are at least twenty good singers of Nazrul Sangeet across
the country. I think this is quite a large number compared with the number of
singers in West Bengal.
Has there been any further innovation by the new generation of
Nazrulgeeti singers?
I do not see that, but there are also some singers, who are
presenting the songs in a very modernized manner, ignoring the traditional
features of Nazrul’s songs.
As a teacher of Nazrul Sangeet how are you teaching this genre of songs
among your students?
Firstly, I try to teach the students the authentic tunes of
Nazrul. When it comes to the style of rendition , my students tell me, ‘Sir,
the audience does not appreciate the old style.’ I advise them to, on the
one hand, avoid the old style while on the other hand teach them to master the
traditional skills of raga music.
Does Chhayanaut give importance to the teaching of Nazrulgeeti?
Chhayanaut is committed to the preservation of the songs of
the ‘pancha-bashkar’ or ‘five sculptors’ of Bengali music:
Rabindranath, Nazrul, Atul Proshad, Dwijendralal, Rojonikanta. Though it is a
common impression that the organisation is a school of Rabindra Sangeet
because most of the organisers are known as singers of Rabindra Sangeet, we
actually give equal importance to all sorts of Bangla songs.
As many of the Nazrul’s songs were composed based on Perso-Arabian
tune, what is your opinion about the presentations of those songs with
middle-eastern instruments?
We can use the musical instruments of that region to cerate
a new taste of those songs, but who will play them? Unfortunately, Bangladesh
has a dearth of musicians who play traditional instruments. As the noted
instrumentalists in our country have had a tough life, they are not
encouraging their children to build a career in this field. I would request
the Bengal Foundation and other organisations to take initiatives to produce
more instrumentalists. We need more sarange and esraaj players.
Do you get any cooperation from the Nazrul Insitute?
Yes, our students take help from the Nazrul Institute and
they use the swaralipis or notations brought out from the Institute. Some of
them also train in the diploma course run by the Institute.