Fahim Hossain Chowdhury to present Tagore melodies today

Fahim Hossain Chowdhury is one of the leading Rabindra Sangeet singers in the country, as well as a founding member and former General Secretary of Bangladesh Rabindra Sangeet Shilpi Sangsad (BRSSS). Today, the artiste is set to perform at a solo soiree at the Sufia Kamal Auditorium at the National Museum. The programme has been organised by the National Museum, and will begin at 6:45pm.

In an interview with the Daily Star, he shares what he will present to the audience today. Excerpts:

What will you be performing for the audience today?

Fahim Hossain Chowdhury: I will be performing songs of many emotions for the audience today. I will begin with a song serenading the month of Srabon- “Emono Din e Tare Bola Jaye”. I will be performing a lot of songs that relate to monsoon. Throughout the second half of the show, I will sing songs of Prem and Puja parajays, and try and touch on all emotions that Rabindranath beautifully worded and composed.

What role do you play at the BRSSS and what kind of activities are you involved in currently in spreading Tagore's works to the people?

Fahim Hossain Chowdhury: I was the General Secretary, a post that is now taken up by Mujibul Qayyum. We try and involve both seniors and juniors, no matter the age group, as long as they are passionate about and practice Rabindra Sangeet. We conduct workshops in different districts to teach and spread Tagore's works around the country. We make sure that the notations (swaralipi) are precise and perfect, but I try and teach everyone to sing in their own ways and not follow the way others do it. We also host programmes in which we try to involve newcomers so that they can learn to take responsibility and it also opens them up more.

With so much on your plate already, when do manage the time to practice?

Fahim Hossain Chowdhury: One thing I always maintain is waking up very early in the morning. I wake up at 5:30am, go to the park at 6:00 for some breathing exercises, which I think helps every senior artiste. And then after I come back home from the park, I do my rewaz before I get into anything else, at least for a minimum of one hour.