Ambitious music project to mark Nazrul's death anniversary

Kazi Nazrul Islam had witnessed and suffered socio-political chaos and tough times, which inspired some of his most rousing poems and songs. Had he been alive, in these turbulent times, he surely would have taken a stand. In that spirit, renowned exponent of Nazrul Sangeet and journalist, Sadya Afreen Mallick has undertaken a project that could have a major impact on the nation, particularly the young demographic.

According to her vision, and under her careful observation, musician Tanveer Alam Shawjeeb has re-arranged two Nazrul Sangeet – “Dao shourjo dao dhoirjo” and “Joi hok shotyer joi hok”. Filmmaker Mejbaur Rahman Sumon is in charge or visualising the songs.

It's an ambitious project and everything is being done meticulously, as indicated by Sadya Afreen Mallick, and as evident at East West University campus – on August 19 morning – where the music video was being shot.

“We want to disseminate messages of hope and peace, particularly among the young, considering they are the most vulnerable group. Of course, the other objective would be to promote Nazrul Sangeet; the masses' understanding of our National Poet's works is tragically very limited. Most Bangladeshis know only a handful of Nazrul's songs. Both the songs we have selected for this project are – despite being remarkable compositions – not that familiar to most. We intend to release the music video on TV channels on August 27, 2016, on the occasion of the poet's death anniversary,” said Mallick.

To ensure that the re-imagining of the songs didn't deviate from the original tunes – as composed by Nazrul – noted researcher Professor Emeritus Rafiqul Islam and Khilkhil Kazi (on behalf of the poet's family) have been on board the project.

The music arrangement and visualisation seem to be symbiotic, as it should be, ideally.

Talking about the process, Tanveer Alam Shawjeeb said, “Initially, I did the arrangement with the visualisation of a choir but then [Mejbaur Rahman] Sumon suggested that we change the set-up, as this has been done too many times. Sumon is a musician himself, so he understands how to work with the music and give it an interesting visual aspect. The chorus bits were the most difficult part of the arrangement; we have around 65 – veteran as well as upcoming – vocalists on the track.”

And what good would an uplifting musical message for the young be without their involvement? East West University campus was abuzz with students excitedly talking and tirelessly singing along with the artistes, as Sumon and his crew kept rolling the camera – taking and retaking shots under the unforgiving sun until the director was content.

The defining trait of both the music arrangement and visualisation would be: refreshing clarity. Not a single note or instrument sounds like it could have been done without, and vocals are calm yet resolute. Certainly something to look forward to on Nazrul's death anniversary this year.

Sadya Afreen Mallick believes a project of this magnitude deserves the patronage of the state, and has approached the Government of Bangladesh. It has already taken off, here's hoping it reaches its goal.