Lively music and exchange of views

Contestants (L and R) take part in the pre-finals of Bengal Bikash. PHOTO: STAR

The judges outlined the selection process, explained the qualities an artiste should have and answered questions from the audience; the audience too provided feedback. Contestants introduced themselves and delivered lively performances.

Among the judges, Rezwana Chowdhury Banya, Shaheen Samad, Pramila Chakravarty, Fahim Hossain Chowdhury, Anup Bhattacharjee, Malay Kumar Ganguli and Khairul Anam Shakil attended the event.

Faheem Hossain Chowdhury said, "An artiste must be persistent with practice. One should also concentrate on accurate pronunciation, apt emotiveness and certain style a song needs. Aspiring singers should also observe performances by reputable artistes to get an idea of nuances and details that breathe life into music."

Contestants taking part in the 'Tagore Songs' and 'Songs of Three Poets' (Atul Prasad, DL Roy and Rajnikant Sen) categories then rendered songs. Kanta performed Ke abar bajaye banshi, an Atul Prasad song. Pial rendered a Tagore song, Tumi robey nirobey. Nilufar Jahan sang Jodi tor hrid-Jamuna, another Atul Prasad number.

Pramila Chakravarty said, "One needs extra endeavour to master songs of DL Roy, Rajnikant Sen and Atul Prasad." To the untrained ear, songs of these three poets may often sound somewhat like Tagore songs, but a skilled artiste can highlight the individuality of these genres through his/her renditions.

Performances of Nazrul songs followed. Champa Banik rendered Tomari ankhir moto. Anisur Rahman performed Nohey nohey priyo e noy ankhijal and Sarah Naz Billah sang Kano kandey poraan. Audience and judges seemed to thoroughly enjoy the heartfelt performances.

Khairul Anam Shakil made a suggestion regarding the pace of songs. According to him, "Pace plays a key role in making a performance enjoyable. If a song sounds inaptly slow, an artiste should have the know how to pick up the pace with precision."

Contestants participating in the 'Folk Songs' category seemed to own the evening. The performances exuded passion and the charming lilt that make our folk songs alluring. Halima Parveen rendered Pora mon-er dukkho and Tapan Kumar Mandol performed Tarey haraye. Monowara Mona presented a moving rendition of Poobali batashey.

Tapan is a carpenter who works at Nitya Upohar at Aziz Co-operative market and has no formal training in music. About his performance Malay Kumar Ganguly said, "Training and practice is must for anyone who wants to be a singer. Without these one cannot retain musical/singing abilities."

Bengal Bikash stands out in the current fad of talent hunts for its commendable efforts to discover artistes who have taken the less lucrative path of traditional Bangla songs. This talent hunt, unlike others, does not claim to "make stars". Hopefully this endeavour will be appreciated and the aspiring artistes will secure a promising future.