An evening of nostalgia

Sohrab Hossain: Passionate rendering of Nazrul songs

On September 22, The Daily Star caught up with Sohrab Hossain. On the cards was an evening of Nazrul songs, with illustrations and flashbacks, presented by him at the Kabibhaban auditorium at Dhanmondi, Dhaka. The performance was held under the auspices of the Nazrul Institute.

Executive Director of Nazrul Institute, poet Abdul Mannan Syed welcomed the eminent artiste on stage. He said that it was the second such session of solo recitals by an eminent artiste. Nazrul enthusiasts, scholars, researchers and singers also took part in a lively discussion session in the intervals between two songs. The auditorium, almost vacant at the beginning, was soon filled to the brim by an enthusiastic crowd from all walks of life

Going back to his early days, Sohrab recalled his fascination with the music played on the gramophone records. 'I was so desperate to attend theatre that I even had to sell my mother's valuables to buy the tickets! The Minerva Theatre, in West Bengal was a popular source of entertainment at that time. During the interval of the plays Sirajuddowla and Laili Majnu, reputed singers like Angur Bala, Indu Bala used to perform songs,' said a nostalgic Sohrab. 'Gradually, I could say the drama lines of the characters by heart, not to speak of the songs. This is how my love for Nazrul songs started,' he added.

Continuing on the same line, he said, ' I hardly knew then about who the composer or writer was behind the songs. I remember one fine morning there was hustle and bustle all around. Everyone was rushing towards the Ranaghat bazaar. There was an air of breathless excitement. The one thing I remember from that first encounter with the poet, Nazrul, was his wild locks of hair and deep inquisitive eyes. Little did I know then that someday I would be so inspired by the immense creativity of the poet and that his songs would be my ultimate identity. '

Another of his indelible memories is his first lesson during the pre- partition days, in Nazrul songs from Zainul Abedin, a resident of Ranaghat Subdivision in West Bengal. He continued his musical learning under the guidance of Kiron Dey Chowdhury and Abbassuddin Ahmed, the undisputed master of folk songs. Ustad M Hossain Khusro gave him lessons on classical songs. Later, Girin Chakravarty gave him musical lessons on Nazrul songs and Shudhir Lal Chakravarty on modern songs. He also learnt a great deal from the gramophone songs of Angur Bala and Indu Bala. In fact, there is hardly any trend of Nazrul Sangeet that he has not performed.

After partition Sohrab Hossain settled in Dhaka. From then on he made an entry in the music scene through recitals in the radio.

In addition to his reflection on the past, Sohrab Hossain rendered kirtan, ghazals and humorous songs with eloquence. However, he complained about his ill health and not being able to perform as before. He sang Amaar Hori namey ruchi karon porinamey luchi, Mor pria hobey esho rani, Nirijoney shokhi, Chal Chal and other popular songs.

He also recalled his heyday. While performing songs at the Chitra cinema hall for the first time in 1945, in Kolkata he gained popularity. In addition, he earned accolades and medals for his single-minded dedication to preserving and performing Nazrul songs. Later he was awarded the Swadhinata Puroshkar by the Bangladesh government in 1980, Nazrul Padak, 1982(Nazrul Academy), Nazrul Academy, 1981(Churulia, India) to name a few.

Kazi Nazrul Islam has undoubtedly enriched the world of Bangla songs with his creative genius. However, it is through gifted artistes like Sohrab Hossain that people continue to love and remember the artistry of Nazrul.