Cassettes have promoted Tagore songs to the remotest parts: Sadi Mohammad

When asked about his group, Sadi said Rabiraag was established in 1987. Most of the singers of the group are now well known. He teaches them music and arranges a programme titled Srotar Ashor every month at various places. Sadi arranges these programmes not because he wants to popularise the music, but because of his tremendous love, passion and respect for Tagore songs.

He did his undergraduate studies on Rabindra Sangeet and acquired a master's degree from Shantiniketan in 1982. 'Tagore songs are like a driving force for me,' he says.

According to Sadi, Tagore songs have always been popular to its selected audience. It began with Pankaj Kumar Mallik with whom Tagore songs first rose into popularity. After that came Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, Debobrata Biswas, Shuchitra Mitra, Kanika Bandopadhyay, Chinmoy Chaterjee, Shahana Devi, Rajeshwari Dutt and other eminent singers of Tagore songs.

Sagar Sen, Subinoy Roy, Rezwana Choudhury Bannya, Mita Haque, Papya Sarwar and Sadi himself belong to the present generation who have become famous as Rabindra singers.

It gives Sadi a sense of immense pride and happiness when he sees people buying his CDs and listening to them. This only shows that the present generation singers are equally popular and are loved by the audience.

Cassettes and CDs have also contributed a lot to promote Tagore songs and through them Tagore songs have reached the most remote parts of the country.

Sadi says he quit his engineering studies when he was awarded a scholarship from Shantiniketan to study music. If today he weren't a singer, he would have been an engineer.

However, his thirst for music was never quenched and his heart always craves for more.