AN ODE TO THE LAND

Gems of Nazrul, eminent Nazrul Sangeet exponent Sadya Afreen Mallick's ambitious project to popularise the National Poet's songs among all, began its journey last August, marking his death anniversary. On the cusp of Kazi Nazrul Islam's birth anniversary, the project is ready to present its fourth production – one of its best till date.

 “O Bhai Khati Sonar Cheye Khati” is a familiar tune – but more as a patriotic song. Not many know that it is a Nazrul song, and after two much lesser-known songs (“Joy Houk” and “Shongka Shunno”) the project zooms in a song that is much more relatable. Tanveer Alam Shawjeeb, who has been in charge of musical arrangements of all the songs in the project, chooses a more traditionalist route in terms of the arrangement, rightly so in alignment with the lyrical content. A marvelous flute intro, by the immensely talented Jalal Ahmed, sets the song in motion, and remains the hero of the track in most parts.

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Like previous occasions, a good blend of young and veteran artistes put their voices together for the song – including Shaheen Samad, Sumon Chowdhury, Fatema Tuz Zohra, Yasmin Mushtari, Rebeka Sultana among the seniors, to younger ones like Prithwi Raj, Ismat Ara Eva and a horde of talented young artistes of Nazrul Institute, with Shawjeeb, Waqeel Ahad and Shahid Kabir Palash, creating a bridge between the pioneers and the protégé.

A new aspect of Kazi Nazrul Islam's lyrical mastery is also at the fore of the song, separating it from the previous gems of Nazrul productions. The lyric is mostly simple in vocabulary, where Nazrul paints a vivid picture of the idyllic beauty of the rural landscape of this country with the use of striking imagery. But then the lyric goes beyond just natural beauty and brings out the time-honoured rich traditions and teachings of this land in a sincere, soulful tribute.

The music video, for which Pinhole Films was brought onboard for filming, also shakes things up with the visual elements of the song. The lyric and performance comes to life in the video, jam-packed with gorgeous shots of landscape and lifestyle of the rural people, and even interjecting the cultural lifestyle aspects in the urban areas at an almost perfect dose. A story forms around the song of a trip to a village and the beauty of life there. The diversity of the visual footage used takes the production up a few notches, without really overdoing it.

Under Nazrul Award recipient Sadya Afreen Mallick's careful supervision and with everyone's efforts combined, the result is a gorgeous song, rich in its tonal diversity rooted in its essence, while being an absolute visual pleasure. It would be remiss to not mention sponsors Dhaka Bank for their wholehearted support, and a special tip of the hat to Gulshan Society for their prompt and generous support for filming of the music video.

The song will be uploaded on YouTube marking Kazi Nazrul Islam's 118th birth anniversary, as well as being broadcast on TV channels and radio stations.