SHAHEEN SAMAD

Shaheen Samad is one of the torch bearers of Nazrul Geeti in Bangladesh. She is known internationally for her contribution and works on Narzul Geeti. She is a former artiste of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, the station which inspired millions during the Liberation War in 1971. Being born to Shamsun Nahar Khatun and Samsul Huda, she found a congenial atmosphere at home that nurtured her love for singing. She got her first prize from a local cultural program singing 'O Bak Bakum Payra'.

Ustad Ram Gopal taught her the basics of classical music. She also learnt from Ustad Fazlul Haque Mia and Ustad Ful Mohammad. Later on, her father brought her to Bangladesh Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA) for honing her skills. When she was only thirteen, she entered Chhayanaut where she found Lutfur Rahman, Sohrab Hossain and Anjali Ray as her mentors. At one point, she also learned from Sanjida Khatun.

Shaheen Samad joined Bangladesh Mukti Sangrami Shilpi Shongstha during the War of Liberation and inspired millions with her charming voice. She performed on stages along with other artists and raised funds for the refugee camps and freedom fighters. At that time, they had to sing from the script named Rupantorer Gaan which was narrated by Hasan Imam.

Inspiration
The Liberation War has always been an inspiration for me. I sang a lot of songs during that time and feel honoured to have been able to inspire our freedom fighters. My family and my husband also inspired me all through my life. Saurav Hossain and Sheikh Lutfar Rahman also inspired me.

Philosophy
My whole career is centered on Nazrul Geeti, so I am optimistic about everything related to Nazrul. I think we should find a way out to spread the love for humanity that Nazrul nurtured through his writings. I see everything positive regarding Nazrul singers rather than criticizing their works. Present is much important for me than past or future.

Nazrul Geeti at Present
I would say the total scenario of cultural practice in Bangladesh is going through bad times. It is good to see that the scenario is changing and people are becoming more aware of Nazrul Geeti. Media is also paying much attention to this now. In case of the present Nazrul Geeti singers, I would say they lack background knowledge and academic lessons. Singing needs much attention and dedication without which one cannot succeed. Many singers have gone off track but our students at Chhayanaut are doing great in this sector. Bijon Mistri, Champa Banik, Anindita and Suchi Debnath are among few people who are doing well. Singers should also be careful about their accent during singing; dialect must not be mixed with it. People often say that Nazrul is not given much emphasis in Bangladesh but I don't think so. I am optimistic about it; yet again media should also play a more dynamic role in this. The Nazrul Sangeet Shilpi Parishad is working in this regard. As a member of this organization, I can say we are taking initiatives to inspire students at school.

Miscellaneous
At one point of my life, I was attached with Nagorik Natya Sangha and appeared in a stage performance named 'Makorsha', acting alongside Aly Zaker. I also did some modeling work back in the day, but not for television since in our time, television commercials were not as popular.

Favorites
Movies: Moghle Azam, Pother Panchali, Simaboddho, Sutorang, Modhumoti, Ogniporikkha
Author: Rabindranath Tagore, Bimal Mitra, Samaresh Basu
Singers: Lata Mungeshkar, Sandhya Mukherjee, Manna Dey, Ferdousi Mazumder, Kumar Biswajit, Tapan Chowdhury, Subir Nandi