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In conversation with Abdur Rahman Boyati

AFSAR AHMED
DAYAGANJ Bazar, a small locality on the outskirts of Dhaka, used to be the meeting place of legendary folk singers such as Khaleque Dewan, Kobi Alauddin Boyati and many others in the late '40s. They used to sing mystical songs in the informal ashors of Bauls. One day a small boy came to them and said, "I want to sing". On stage he sang Mon tumi kar bhoroshai boisha roila and mesmerised the singers and the audience. Alauddin Boyati was so moved with the little boy's singing style that he instantly declared, "I wish I could have a student like you!" And the little boy quickly responded, "If I ever sing I will give you the stature of my guru." That little boy is none other than today's legendary mystical singer Abdur Rahman Boyati.
Mon amar dehoghori, shondhan kori, banaiasey kon mistory, these famous lines of the timeless song gave Rahman a niche in the spiritual music world. "That was the time when I was under the tutelage of Kobi Alauddin Boyati. One fine day I heard him humming the lines of this song. Instantly I fell in love with those lines. Then I went to him and said that I wanted to give a nice tune to this song," reminisces Rahman. And the rest is the history.
"I used to sing Urdu and Hindi Qawalis," smiles Rahman and starts humming some lines Khoda banda mohabbat mein yeh kya…
"Every Thursday there was a Qawali Jalsha at the High Court Mazar and I regularly performed there," asserts Rahman.
This renowned singer first ventured into the media in the '70s. But it wasn't easy for him to get a chance in TV and radio. "It was in the mid-'70s and at that time BTV was at the DIT building. I went there to give an audition and the concerned person asked where I was from. And when I replied that I was from Dhaka, that person told me that I was disqualified. Apparently those people had
the weird idea that singers from Dhaka cannot sing folk or Baul songs," says Rahman. As he continues, "I was rejected thrice. On the fourth attempt when they asked me the same question, I told them I was from Bikrampur. And then they were ready to take my audition and I passed at last."
Rahman Boyati's first TV programme is firmly imprinted in his mind. "It was the time when BTV used to telecast all the programmes live. I was selected to sing with the legendary folk singer Abdul Aleem and the programme was directed by Mustafa Monwar," reminisces Rahman. Monowar was so impressed by his spiritual song, Moroner kotha keno smaran koro na, that he recruited him for the following week's programme. Not only that, later he helped Rahman to take his Baul and spiritual songs to 33 countries--among them Germany, England and Scotland and Japan --and mesmerised the audience there. He still cherishes the memory of his visit to the White House where he met President George Bush.
This folk artist,who is also a poet, a lyricist, a vocalist and a music composer, began his professional career in 1956. He specialised in Boyati (folk) and all other forms of folk genre such as Jari, Palli, Marfati, Murshidi, Dehatatya, Shari and even Qawali. In 1982 he formed the Abdur Rahman Boyati Group.
"I have launched around 1,000 cassettes," says Rahman. And he has sung numerous songs. For the first cassette, a composition of Jari songs, he got Taka 25 as an honorarium. In 2001 Rahman sang 16 songs for a CD under the banner of Digitone but he didn't get an honorarium. "There is a lot of struggle in the contemporary musical world," sighs Rahman. He has a reason for a grouse: his songs and tunes have been copied and misused by the established singers of the country. Rahman has a suggestion for his counterparts, "Don't copy songs, rather try to create new songs using your own talents."
On September 17, 2003, Rahman was performing on
BTV on a show called Shodesh Songskriti. During the programme he suddenly had a stroke. His situation has worsened and he is unable to afford his medical expenses. It is very unfortunate to see a great folk artist suffer in this manner. What's worse is that not many people have stepped forward to lend him a helping hand
during his tough days.
However, the powerful singer still maintains his optimism about his musical career. To quote him, "Music is my soul. Ami gaan gamu , ami abar gann gamu (I will sing again). "