Down memory lane with Fahmida Nabi

Fahmida Nabi

Fahmida Nabi was born in Dinajpur at her grandparent's house, locally known as 'Shaat Shundorir Bari' or 'Home of the Seven Beauties.' The renowned home exemplified the rich cultural heritage of succeeding generations of the family. Her earliest memory of the place is of a house brimming with fun and frolic, laughter and musical gatherings with her father leading the pack. Being brought up in such an edifying, cultivated, well-refined family Fahmida feels that she never needed that extra grooming to become an artiste. It was already in her genes. Their house was a common platform for artistes to come and be part of this musical soiree.

As a child, Fahmida recalls her days spent with local boys as a total daredevil. Stealing flowers and guavas from neighbors' gardens on rainy days was common place. During such excursions Fahmida would take the lead with Samina close behind as the assistant. They had foolproof action plans for these excavations so that they would not get caught.

While Samina was the studious one between the two sisters aiming to be a doctor, it was always Fahmida's dream to be an artiste. However, friends and family had written her off as she used to shriek and scream around the house, abusing her vocal chords to their limits. "However, songs were in my veins and at the age of eight when I heard Lata Mangeshkar sing Na mon lagey na, my soul ached and searched for something more," reminisces Fahmida.

Her sleep would break at the crack of dawn with her father doing 'rewaaz'... sa re ga ma on his harmonium, recalls Fahmida. She learnt the beauty of fusion from her father who was a master in modern as well as classical songs. She fondly recalls Lucky Chacha (Lucky Akhand) coming to their house with his musical instruments and playing them in non- conventional styles. All of this had an impact on her own music.

In a gathering of artiste families, Fahmida sung her first song Mayer sneho gelo with sister Samina. It was a song composed by their father and finally a small dream had come true. That she could ever have a career apart from singing had never occurred to this multi lingual singer. On answering a question regarding competition between her and Samina, Fahmida admits that Samina is a competitor as far as singing is concerned, but there had never been any personal rivalry between the sisters.

It was Mahmud-Un Nabi's simplicity and humble nature that struck Fahmida and made her realise what a great artiste her father was. Fahmida believes that her father is still alive through his children. Being an MA degree holder in philosophy, she thinks that when people die, it's only their body, which leaves the earth; the minds relocate to someone else. Similarly her father's mind had transpired to theirs.

Fahmida has teamed up with Napin Music (an audio production house); where for the first time in Bangladesh young artistes will get a chance to practice their vocal chords on microphones. The institute's main objective is to teach the technique of throwing and grooming voices. The opening is on June 1, 2006.

Music is something so pure; there isn't scope for cheap music to survive, it will die a natural death philosophises the perfectionist Fahmida. In her words, "I don't believe in a few seconds fame neither do I sing to be famous. I have always drawn my inspiration from songs. I close my eyes and through a maze I enter into the hearts of my songs and sing. It takes me to impossible heights of clarity."

Today she sings for her daughter. "I feel that I have to give the best I can for my daughter's sake. I don't know whether I am my father's apposite daughter, but I do know that I want my daughter to be proud of me."