Artistes are also human - Bappa Mazumder

As we walked into the workstation, a mesmerising tune was being played on the studio monitors as Bappa Mazumder was busy mixing a melodious track. “Do you like the song? It is for our new album,” said the musician with a wry smile.

All the negativity surrounding the artiste's personal life for the past few days had evidently affected the man who had given Bangladeshi music so much to cherish in his already illustrious career. What should have been a joyous moment for the artiste as he stepped into a new chapter in life, was scrutinised extensively on social media.

As we sat down for a cup of tea, Bappa admitted that he had not been himself lately. “I am a musician, and I want to live amongst people with my music. I am very uncomfortable about making my personal life public,” said a candid Bappa Mazumder. “I am an artiste, but I am also a human being. It does hurt when people become quick to judge an occurrence without knowing the story behind it.”

The singer asserted that artistes should be judged only for their work, and the media should be very responsible while reporting someone's personal events. “This can be a very sensitive issue, and I think I speak for all artistes when I say that one should be very careful when talking about someone,” said Bappa, “It is very unethical, for example, to host television shows which scrutinise individuals and throw judgment on their personalities, very randomly.”

Despite all this, Bappa Mazumder is hopeful about life, people and about music. He wants to continue with what earned him a place in everyone's hearts in the first place: making music. “As time flies by, I become keener on experimenting with genres,”saidBappa. “I've wanted to make a 'musical' for a long time, and I want to do that in the near future. I also want to work on making scores for films, as that aspect intrigues me a lot.”

Before leaving 'Bee Emz' studio, I could not pass on the opportunity to request a song from one of Bangladesh's best singers. As Bappa sang Chokheri Jole, his voice was still at his glorious best, and that was an assurance that nothing can deter the artiste that is Bappa Mazumder.