Tablaraj Bangladesh at Sherpur & Jamalpur

Tablaraj Bangladesh made it’s stepping starting from Sherpur and then Jamalpur on 26^th and 27^th of September, 2009 respectively. Introducing own self, Tablaraj Bangladesh got appreciation from the people of Sherpur and Jamalpur as they are uttering the same voice about the Bangladeshi culture. As Tablaraj Bangladesh is marching forward with a view to bring the noble people (I must name them as noble people) who are holding in mind and carrying the origin through entreating those, in the lime light and respect their plays and works.

In Sherpur, Tablaraj Bangladesh was given a warm welcome with few respected personalities; Akhtarujjaman (advocate), Tapon Sarwar (lecturer), Md. Momenul Haque (businessman), Sahiddujjaman (assistant library controller), Abdul Kadir (lecturer of Bangla), Rasel (teacher), Binoy dey (cultural executive), Tara Miah (Baul Singer), Md. Nur Islam (Baul) and few students, along with Tablaraj Bangladesh team. Tablaraj Bangladesh was boosted with their very versatile and important views about recent condition of literature, music, theatre, overall cultural attributes. There are many discussions and finding that we do not do, example we are not exploring Jasim Uddin (the great poet) who has contributed for the country through his plays, also the great artist like Abdul Alim (great singer). Even we are loosing out many songs, example, Murshidi songs, Kirton, Kobigaan, Mohorrom songs etc; these are just bounded in the pages of history books. We have almost lost those with social constraints (religious difference problem) – Murshidi is muslim song, Kirton is Hindu song. All these social constraints allowed eradicating the various attribute of our culture.

Tablaraj Bangladesh has come out with a valuable finding, Tara Miah, the baul is renowned at Sherpur. He sings for his passion and for soil and the people. He was student of Islamic academic medium, yet his artistic soul had taken him away from all the obstacles and finally he came out as a Baul singer. He was accused badly in his society but his singing and its lyrics made all people cry and feel the connection of honesty for the eternity and then he was respected all at Sherpur and today we got him under the Tablaraj Bangladesh banner and Tablaraj Bangladesh is proud to get as close companion of its association. Tara Miah says, Music is not a business product, and it is not music when it is obscene. True or well-refined music is that music which enables to convert the inhuman into a real man.

In Jamalpur, there were present much respected personalities to welcome and assist the Tablaraj Bangladesh with their valuable information and suggestions. Jamalpur is already culturally enriched with talented people and with its core mind set of Bangali. The important personalities boosted Tablaraj Bangladesh with their valuable and informative speech. The personalities are – Md. Sajjad Hossain, Md. Hedayetul Islam (lecturer), Md. Liakot Ali (NDC), D.S.M. Jahid Hossain, Sajjad ansary, Mahbubur Ansary, Md. Anwar, Md. Abdus Sobhan, Fazlul Karim (teacher), Ali Imam Dulal, Sayeeda Mustafa Begum, Dipon Mirza, Kabi Md. Mizanur Rahman, Dipok Kumar Saha.

Sayeeda Mustafa Begum had said about few very old instruments, Kashi, Khanjori, Dhak, Mrigol Bashi (one type of flute) etc. which can not be seen nowadays at all and it is lost long ago. Even she talked about Surab Boyati (singer), Katandar Behala (Violin player); she says that we won’t get them even through searching with candles. She Suggest that Tablaraj Bangladesh must bring out all these things. Ali Imam Dulal said that he this association’s step is obviously big and great and he will always stand behind with his support. Mr. Sobhan says a very important fact that is an artist never becomes old but is evergreen and hence we must reserve his respect with his biography and practicing his works. Mr. Anwar says that, an artist hold a particular rhythm in his or her heart and blood that enables him or her to explore one’s talent with or without the academic lesson. Academy is needed for polishing but originally it needs a fresh heart to contain art in the mind that links one into music or painting or writing. Mr Awar has written and sang about three hundreds of songs. Even he sang a song with kirton’s tune while lyrics are similar to Murshidi criterion. Music has no bound but binds with every harmony. Art is a hunger and we just swallow but don’t meet our hunger, says Jahid Hassan as per today’s status. He also says that exploring qualities of art means getting back the pulse. Sajjad Ansary stated few important issues that Tablaraj Bangladesh would have to face in its march, those are, religious extremism, making business, conceptual mistake about different types of songs (example, many people name Jari and Sari song as Baul song and that is wrong). We must consider the nation at first that is a land and a nation is culture. Our Bangladesh became country after 71 but it was nation even before 71 and thus, our culture also existed long ago when it was named Bangladesh but our first introduction is Bangali. We must know the land, its source, its values, thus the country that composes the entire culture.

Rajan Saha, the president of the association Tablaraj Bangladesh introduced the association and its objectives and the queries for stepping ahead and also thanked the people of Sherpur and Jamalpur them for their appreciation, support and important suggestions. Along with the president Rajan Saha, other members were present there are- Hasibur Rouf Suvro, Momenul Hauque, Arzoo Pervez, Mahbub Rubel and Tahera Hossain. Tablaraj Bangladesh is grateful to the people of Sherpur and Jamalpur.

We had successful our group meeting Of Jamalpur .

We had successful our group meeting Of Sherpur .

Profile of a Dedicate Star Singer MEHREEN

Mehreen’s singing training started, as she says, before her birth. As her sister used to learn oriental (north Indian) classical vocal at home, her orientation with music was from the first days of her life – even before! And thus her access to the music was automatic. She was discovered to be a marvelous harmonium player when she was not even four. She first began primary sargams from Ustaad Pulin Dey. Then she moved on to chchayanot. The story of her first day there at chchayanot she fondly remembers. Her mom took there to be admitted, understandably, at a primary class, since she was only seven then. Ustaad Mithun Dey was sitting afar while she was being tested. He called her to him. And readily took her to his class as the youngest student of first year classical section. It was her bad luck, she says, that she was blessing with his attention only for a few months as he fell ill soon after. Her early life was a bit of here now and there then. But music was always with her. Her portable harmonium was always along, representing bangla music worldwide at a tender age. She aspired for perfection unknowingly from then on. It was during her visit to the West Indies when she joined the school choir as a member of the senior choir. She has always been under the guidance of her music teacher and very much believes in music to be “guru mukhi”. She was an active musician at school (viqarun nisa noon) and college (holy cross).



Till today she has had the privilege of being acquainted with stalwarts in Bangladesh like, Ustaad Shudhin Das, Ustaad Abdul Latif, Ferdousy Rahman, Ustaad Omar Faruk. This has increased the horizon of her capabilities to an unprecedented combination. She knows the hardcore folk to Tagore, classical to Nazrul. Till today she is taking vocal lessons of various genres of classical music, and wants to continue learning for as long as she lives. She takes her western vocal lessons from Charlotte Surkin in New York. Of coarse, she says, learning for a musician is throughout every moment and second that she lives and meets each and every person in day to day life. Mehreen pursued music but never thought of stardom. She waited for the right person with her first demo until she met the “murderer” trio. They together created the revolutionary album “ANARI”. This creation was regarded as the revival of pop music when it was first played in 1999 on Channel I. This sparked pop music for the second generation of pop artistes and gave birth to the “neo-pop” in Bangladesh. This fact fetched Mehreen a lot of awards including the highest recognition among public awards “the Ononna” award for bringing in a new genre of musical presentation. Not only in genre, Mehreen first represented the Generation Youth – a complete newness in musical presentation. Her music video Anari was a favorite play of the then popular private channel “Channel I” – and thus a constant hit. This boomed pop music as well as Mehreen as the in and hot artist – the Pop Princess for ever more. Till now she has released five solos with dozens of hits for the local market. Anari (2000), Dekha Hobe (2002), Mone Pore Tomae (2004), Bhalobashar Gaan A Romantic Compilation (2005), and Don’t Forget Me (2006). Debdash, Dola, Radha, Preme Porechi etc are some of her mixed albums. Watching her mark and potential, she was made a Pepsi star, the first female to become so in the country.



Mehreen is now a household favorite. Her public appearances include open-air concerts and solos in the capital as well at venues all over the country and beyond. She has been one of the first Bangladeshi pop artists to go live on international channel Tara bangla from the Nazrul Manch in kolkata. She is also a marked name at the only regional music channel the Tara Muzik, which has also released her solo in Kolkata, besides her constant presence at the local satellite tv channels, the national terrestrial channel Bangladesh Television and the radios. Now, it is her wish and commitment to be known, and to make her mother tongue Bangla be known, internationally. Mehreen this year responded to international invitations. She is now working at a cross cultural fusion project with Bikrom Ghosh from India and Djamel from France, with four other artists from all over the world. In November 2007, she will work with the French Jazz-fusion band The Mescal Unit to produce a solo which in her opinion will be another land mark for music trend in Bangladesh. So far, she was the only representative of the new era at the indo-bangla kala music award 2003 held at the Manhattan center New York besides star performer the living legend Runa Layla from Bangladesh. She was invited by the ministry of tourism, govt of Bahrain to perform for the Bangladeshi community there on the same stage with star performers from India and Sri Lanka.



She was the artist to be invited by the ministry of tourism, govt of Malaysia to record a song for promotion of Malaysian tourism. This was a track composed by an internationally acclaimed Malaysian composer and voiced by artists of 10 other countries. Mehreen voiced the Bangla track; the recording was done in Kuala Lumpur; Malaysian Airlines and the Malaysian Tourism Ministry sponsored the trip. This was her first recording outside Bangladesh. This was released as VCD in 2001. She was the first ever pop performer to be included in a government trip to perform at stages in Pakistan, Thailand and Burma. She performed at the biggest gathering of Bangladeshis living in the UK, the Boishakhi Mela, at brick lane, London, in presence of 56000 people. She has performed and was awarded as best pop at the prestigious Fobana, NY. A three week long tour of the UK took her in front of a foreign audience at the Edinburgh Mela, the subcontinent wing of the Fringe Festival. She has been the first mainstream Bangladeshi artist to be invited, along with her band – the Anaries, at the Edinburgh Mela.



In September 2003, Mehreen went to Bombay, to shoot videos for the proposed regional MTV India.

TablaRaj Bangladesh always support him


Information Collected By:Sejuti Saha

Profile of a Dedicate upcoming Star musician Mr. Imtiaz Ahmed Harris

Born: - February-14,1981
Dhaka, Bangladesh.

During his childhood, he used to listen various types of pop songs. From Michael Jackson, Modern Talking, George Michael to Madonna, and lots more.

During his early teen years, he started to listen and get addicted with the rock and metal artists of Bangladesh. His main influence (and also the very first) among all the other bassists is none other than Shelly bhai, bassist of Winning.

Besides, his other influences are Shelly Bhai (Winning), Arshad Amin (Rockstrata), Babna Karm (Warfaze, solo), Shafin Ahmed (Miles), the late Mobin Bhai (Winning, Souls), Moto (Renaissance), Tanim (Souls, Renaissance, Obscure, Dolchut), Buno (Bangla), Khayem Ahmed (Nogor Baul), Swapan (LRB), Aurangozeb Babu (Feelings, Akhra), Khoka (Feedback,Maqsood O Dhaka), Bulbul (Ark, Feedback), Biplob (Prometheus), Schuman (Paper Rhyme, Shadhinota), Shams (Trap), Shamim (Ark), Roger bhai (Metalmaze, Warfaze), etc.

In 1997, he started listening to rock and metal musics from the bands of other countries. Starting with the song, "Wildchild" by Scorpions. His influences started to rise once he listened to Roger Glover of Deep Purple and Rainbow.

From then on his influences have increased into a more higher level. His lists included bassists like Randy Meisner (Eagles), Timothy B. Schmit (Eagles), Steve Harris (Iron Maiden), Roger Glover (Episode Six, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Gillan & Glover, Ian Gillan Band), Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, GZR, Heaven And Hell), Sting (The Police, solo) , Stuart Hamm / Stu Hamm (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, solo), George Roger Waters (Pink Floyd, Jeff Beck, solo), Sir James Paul McCartney (The Beatles, solo), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin, Donovan, Foo Fighters, solo), John Deacon (The Queen), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath), John Illsley (Dire Straits), Gene Simon (Kiss), Glen Cornick (Jethro Tull), Geddy Lee (Rush), Adam Charles Clayton/Adam Clayton, etc.

Beside his band, he is also the bassist of Fahmida Nabi, the famous singer of modern/adhunik songs.

TablaRaj Bangladesh always support him

Information Collected By: Rudra Rajat

Tablaraj Bangladesh - a step ahead

Members Of TablaRaj Bangladesh

Members Of TablaRaj Bangladesh

Tablaraj Bangladesh has just completed its second meeting and conference on 9th September, 2009 along with Iftar. Tablaraj has made a successful discussion session with members and famous artists and person superior in wisdom. The chief guest was the pre-eminent cultural personality Biren Soum, special guests were Shahidulla Foraji, renowned lyrist and music composer of Bangladesh, Mahbubur Rahman Ansary, the great freedom fighter, Krshnokoli, famous singer of the time and Pintu Ghosh, music director and others.Every personality has kept their important speech along with the founder of the association of Tablaraj Bangladesh Rajan Saha, for how to achieve the goals of Tablaraj Bangladesh that is to hold and bring the people who are actually carrying the identity of Bangladesh culture.

Tablaraj Bangladesh had born in 13 February, 2009 and its has stood up with more than two thousand members at its age of seven months which came out through ‘Facebook’ of internet technology. Tablaraj Bangladesh has been successful in its journey till now with its motto as it has already come up with findings from different corners of Bangladesh of few artists who are not the star yet but they are attached with culture and literature of Bangladesh.

In the meeting, Krishnokoli has said that the attempt of Tablaraj Bangladesh is very good but few issues should be concerned by the members of the this association; 1) culture is what we live with in the society and on the land, that is, society, politics, economy, all that encompass the entire country and its consequences for the aftermath of those effect and all these were appeared profoundly in our songs of Jari, Sari, Lalon etc (original culture of Bangladesh) 2) culture is not detached from the politics as it is a part of our life, 3) we are suppressed with the culture that is imposed on us and acting in a leading character which is draining out the original culture of Bangladesh. Pintu Ghosh said about the busy life which we lead and corporate attitude that has taken us in a state that we are not about to look anywhere with emotions but for any business interest which is another reason that people can not make the future or present generation aware of the original identity of Bangla culture. Shahidullah Foraji explained the culture with few statements; culture comes with purifying the soul that attach with the root of the soil. He also said that song has captured a greater area of culture that has taken people in a passionate stage with its lyrics and tune; music is a matter of feeling and realization by the soul and it goes on with the eternity. Mahbubur Rahman Ansary also kept important speech that stated about our core culture and the unique and specialty of the outcomes of our culture that still makes perfect scenery of our lives or the reality. He said that advancement of science and technology has given us the speed but taken away the emotions; we just move with black batch to celebrate the International Mother Language day but we forget to take steps or keep an active action to boost the language and language is also a part of the culture, hence this fact should be kept in our heart for days and years. Final speech was given by the respected personality of the country, Biren Soum, who praised the mission and motto of the association and suggested to form a committee as the association becomes more clear objectives and more number of active members. Today the total number of population reached about 80 people including the 6 of the guests presented today. The conference was ended with fabulous speech from Rajan Saha, the founder and the chairperson of the association. He said that we must have strong patriotism in our heart and approach ahead with bold step to revive our culture. “This is the only country which has sacrificed their lives for the language and it is our duty that we respect their blood through stepping in the field to work such that we can actually revive our own and original culture”, Rajan Saha said. He completed his speech giving thanks to every members and guests.

09-09-09

Conference with Iftar.

Profile of a Dedicate Great Bhavabhushan Mitra

Born in the village of Balarampur in Jhenaidah District, now in Bangladesh, Bhavabhushan was son of Shyamacharan Mitra. As a student at Jhenaidah Government High School, Bhavabhushan excelled in sports. During a rough football match in about 1900 he crashed into an adversary, who was Bagha Jatin. Bhavabhushan later wrote: "In those days, colliding with the opponents and fracturing each other’s legs were not considered as foul play".

Jatin and Bhavabhushan became close friends. Bhavabhushan discovered Swami Vivekananda’s teachings, which had inspired the physical fitness programme in which Jatin was assisted by his boyhood friend, Kunjalal Saha of Kushtia. Soon, Jatin’s club came to include other future celebrities like Baladev Ray (Kushtia), Phani Ray (Kushtia), Deviprasad Ray alias Khuro (Kushtia), Sisirkumar Ghosh (Sagardari, Jessore), Jyotish Majumdar alias Chandi (Jessore), Amaresh Kanjilal (Jessore), Suresh Majumdar alias Paran (Krishnagar), Atulkrishna Ghose (Jadu-Bayra) and his cousin Nalinikanta Kar (Etmampur), Kshitish Sanyal (Pabna), Satish Sarkar (Natore), Jnan Mitra (Kolkata), Charu Ghose (Chetla), Nanigopal Sengupta (Howrah).

Jatin introduced Bhavabhushan to Suren Tagore, a nephew of Rabindranath Tagore. While looking after their estates at Silaidaha, the Tagores often consulted their solicitor Basantakumar Chatterjee, Jatin’s maternal uncle and father of Phanibhushan and Nirmalkumar. And, like Rabindranath and Basantakumar, Suren not only held classes for the members of Jatin’s club, but also practised riding, rowing and self-defence with them. Fond of Jatin and his friends, Suren taught them to think not only in terms of India’s freedom but, especially, of Asian unity.

In 1900, invited by Suren at his Kolkata residence, Jatin and Bhavabhushan attended a meeting where Kakuzo Okakura, the Japanese dreamer of the movement "Asia is One", was presented to dignitaries like Sister Nivedita, the barrister P. Mitter, Shashibhushan Raychaudhuri including members of the Tagore family (Sarala Devi Tagore, Rabindranath, Abanindranath Tagore). Like other patriots, too, Bhavabhushan was to be impressed by the Japanese victory over Russia in 1905, and admired Japan as an Asiatic power. Even in 1937, as a tribute to the Japanese admiral, he christened one of Jatin’s grandsons as Togo. At Kolkata, Bhavabhushan noticed young Jatin’s popularity among the seasoned personalities. Especially he found Mitter encouraging Jatin in his mission of preparing youths for an extremist uprising against the colonial rulers. As soon as the Kolkata Anushilan Samiti was inaugurated in 1902, with the help of Bhavabhushan and other associates, Jatin opened its branches in Kushtia and neighbouring towns. As Jatin’s messengers, on several occasions Bhavabhushan and Chandi Majumdar used to meet Sarala Devi, Nivedita, P. Mitter, Bepinchandra Pal, Krishnakumar Mitra.

TablaRaj Bangladesh always respect him

Information Collected By: Syed Hasibur Rashid (Hasib)

Profile of a Dedicated Famous Tabla Maestro Proshonno Kumar Banik

Famous Tabla Maestro Proshonno Kumar Banik was born at Dhaka in a “Gandhobanik” family in 1957. His father name was Madonmohon Banik.

Though Proshonno Kumar Banik was not born in a music lover family then his father took him to the famous Tabla & Mridongo artist of that time named Gourmohon Boshak to be introduced with The instrument Tabla. At that time Proshonno was just 9 years old. After the hardworking in learning Tabla for 9 years to Gourmohon Boshak he sent Proshonno to have better schooling under Ata Hossain Khan who was the royal musician of Nobab Amir-ul-Umrah. Ata Hossain Khan was so glad to observe Proshonno Banik’s skill in Tabla. He prepared Proshonno with his own care by teaching him carefully to make Proshonno a great Tabla artist. Proshonno Banik decided to earn the livelihood as a Tabla artist after finishing his studying. Within very short time his glory spreads all over everywhere. He achieved the glory by playing Tabla in many royal meeting in Bangladesh. He was so immensely popular as an instrumentalist & singer. His musical & instrumental excellence inspired both other singers & audiences. Without Tabla he was equally excellent in playing Pakhoaz. He was elected as a professor in “Bharat Shangeet Shamaj” in Bengali 1334 at that time.

Within his student whom were originally very famous they are Raybahadur Keshobchondro Bondopadhay, Harendrakishor Raychowdhury, Pranbollov Goshwamy & Aksay Karmakar.

Proshonno Banik wrote two famous books as “Tabla Torongini” & “Mridanga Probeshika” for the Tabla & Mridanga lover students.

TablaRaj Bangladesh always respect him

Information collected by

Aninda Bhowmik

Profile of a Dedicated Ustad Khan Ayet Ali (1884-1967)

Ustad Khan Ayat Ali was born in a music gharana in the village of Shibpur in the district of Brahmonbaria. He took music lessons from his elder brother, fakir aftabuddin khan, at the age of ten. He subsequently went to Maihar and took lessons in the Sitar and the surbahar from his elder brother, Ustad Alla Uddin Khan..

Alla uddin Khan then sent him to Rampur, to his teacher, Ustad Wazir Khan, who taught Ayet Ali Khan for thirty years at a stretch. With the blessings of his guru, Ayet Ali joined the court of Maihar State as a court musician. Along with his brother, he formed an orchestra with indigenous musical instruments. Ustad Ayet Ali Khan later became the poet of the Nawab of Rampur. At the invitation of Rabindranath Tagore, He joined Santiniketan in 1935 as the head of the department of instrumental music. Ill health, however, obliged him to give up the post and return to Brahmanbaria.

Ustad Ayet Ali Khan's guidance and encouragement helped a host of classical musicians to develop. He also established a workshop for manufacturing musical instruments. He developed two new musical instruments, the manohara and the mandranad, and also improved the surbahar and the sarod. Another instrument, which he developed on the advice of Ustad Alauddin Khan, was the chandrasarang. He also invented a number of ragas: Varis, Hemantika, Aol-Basanta, Omar-Sohag, Shiva-Behag, Basanta-Bhairon, Mishra Sarang etc.

Ustad Ayet Ali Khan founded the Alla uddin Music College at comilla (1948) and Brahmanbaria (1954). He regularly performed the surbahar on Radio Pakistan from 1951 to 1965. He also participated in classical music conferences held in different cities of India. In 1960 he received the Governor's medal for his extraordinary contributions to the field of music. He was given the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz in 1961 and the Pride of Performance Award in 1966 by the Pakistan Government. He was honoured with the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Award and the Independence Day Award posthumously in 1976 and 1984 respectively.

TablaRaj Bangladesh always respect him


Information colleted by
Ashiqur Rqhman Javin