Baul Kabir Shah's performance at DIFF 2018

Baul Kabir Shah is one of the contemporary gems of Bangla folk music. He received his musical tutelage from Baul Shamrat Shah Abdul Karim and started singing at the age of thirteen. The singer has dexterity in performing Dhamail, Bhatiali, Murshidi and Bichchhedi songs.

He performed on the concluding night of the Dhaka International Folk Festival (DIFF) 2018, held at the Bangladesh Army Stadium. Kabir Shah started off his performance with the Bichchhedi song, Je Korechhe Piriti Shei Jane Taar Jwala.

The authentic rendition of the romantic song, Krishna Aila Radhar Kunjey, composed by his Guru, was his next offering. The audience seemingly took the rendition to their hearts.

As an emerging bard he also composes folk songs inserting bhonita (mentioning his name) at the final stanza of the song. Kabir Shah also sang a few of his own compositions including Tumi Bhabiya Dekho Mon at the festival.

Dhamail is a popular genre of folk songs of region of Sylhet and the eminent mystic bard Radharaman Dutta is one of the pioneering composers of Dhamail songs. Kabir later presented a Dhamail number and wrapped up his show with  Shah Abdul Karim's Kon Mistori Nao Banailo. As an attendee of the festival, I came out with the feeling that if composers of folk songs in our country were given proper training of sargam practice and classical music along with basic knowledge of sound systems, they would perform better on stage.