20 years of Adity Mohsin

Photo: Star

Eminent Indian actor Soumitra Chattaerjee once spoke highly of Adity Mohsin while he was listening to the singer live in Kolkata, India. “Right now, Adity is the best Tagore singer in both West Bengal and Bangladesh,” he had said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received the Desikottam Award from Visva Bharati University on 28 January, 1999. At that special convocation ceremony, Adity performed a solo song, Koto Ajanarey Janaile Tumi. The performance was aired live on Doordarshan and Bangladesh Television (BTV), simultaneously. Her performance won the hearts of countless music lovers across the borders.

The following month, the singer returned to Bangladesh and joined Chhayanaut as a teacher after eminent Tagore exponent Waheedul Haq encouraged her. The following year, Bengal Foundation produced her first album, Amar Mon Cheye Roy. Waheedul Haq wrote on the cover of album, “S/he who sings for life, s/he is the soul of his/her song. I wish Adity will carry forward the musical legacy of her mother-like Guru Kanika Banerjee to new lands, new people and new offshores”.

Adity Mohsin told The Daily Star that Tagore songs are not merely meant for entertainment, but rather to carry the spirit of spirituality and a deep sense of life and accomplishment. “Rabindranath is an inevitable part of our culture. His songs are practically impossible to sing properly, if one cannot comprehend the depth of the lyrics,” she said.

When Adity was studying English at University of Dhaka, she received an ICCR scholarship. Her father, Nur Mohsin Khan, inspired her to pursue a degree from Visva Bharati University. Her mother Hosne Ara Khan encouraged her to learn music when she was young. 

To celebrate Adity Mohsin’s illustrious twenty-year career in music, a programme, titled Arun Alor Anjali, will take place today at 6 pm at the Krishibid Institute Auditorium, in Dhaka. The Prime Minister’s Political Adviser, H T Imam, will attend the event as chief guest. Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Riva Ganguly Das and distinguished cultural personality Asaduzzaman Noor, MP, will be present as special guests. Theatre personality Ramendu Majumdar, who is also the president of the celebration committee, will preside over the programme, where Adity Mohsin will perform her favourite songs composed by Tagore, DL Roy, Atulprasad Sen and Rajanikanta Sen.

Other honourable members of the committee are Anisul Haque, Abdul Hai Sarker, Engineer Rabiul Alam, M Hamid, Mamunur Rashid,  Muhammad A (Rumi) Ali,  Luva Nahid Choudhury, Sitangshu Kumar Sur Chowdhury,  Sadya Afreen Mallick, Syed Mahbubur Rahman and Hashem Khan.

Adity, even after 20 years in music, feels like she still has a long way to go. “Because of the blessings from my fans and loved ones, my journey was a smooth one,” she says. “It was not an easy task, especially as a woman, to move forward and to practice music in our times.”

The magnanimous presence of the towering personalities in Santiniketan influenced Adity’s musical and personal life. “I used to see a lot of great people living a simple life there. The affection and blessings of the great artistes and people around the Santiniketan have influenced my life immensely. I am grateful to my Gurus -- Kanika Banerjee, Nilima Sen, Manju Bandyopadhyay, Arup Ratan Bandyopadhyay and Mohan Singh Khangura,” she says.