Classical Roots

In Bangladesh, the music-based reality show culture started in 2005.We took inspiration from western shows and decided to make one of our own. Close-up Tomakei Khujche Bangladesh started, this popular and successful initiative brought a steady stream of new singers to the limelight. Unfortunately the ones that came into the spotlight, didn't stay there for long, neither did the ones that secured the 2nd or 3rd positions. I mean, these singers get so much coverage, but for whatever reason, be it the lack of personal determination or intense competition in the industry, they never stay in the industry for the long haul.

After the success of the first show, many thought that there would be copies of the show on other televisions channels and they were right. This is a very common occurrence in our country, but all of them had the same objective, to discover new and promising singers, and they too had the same result, that these singers lost their position in the limelight. Somnur Monir Konal, on the other hand, gives us hope. She is trained in classical music, has a beautiful voice, and the fact that she can play with songs makes her exceptionally adept. By this, I refer to her ability to cover almost anything from Rabindranath to Nazrul, a skill that is not seen very often. It may be too early to tell but there is reason to believe that she will emerge as a strong and professional singer. She has accomplished a lot quickly, and is continuing to work in the field. I hope she keeps the trend alive, something that the industry desperately needs.

On a final note, the five day long Bengal Classical Music Festival 2014, the biggest classical music festival in the world, was organized for the 3rd time last week. The classical base is the strongest, once a musician has it, he or she can play with any genre of music. Through the festival, we saw legendary Hindustani Classical musicians perform, and there is much to be learnt from them. Their devotion to their art, their unflinching dedication, their unmatched performance together leaves the audience in a trance of magic. If this event is continued for 10 years or more, it will take the music industry to heights it never even dreamed of.