When Tagore singers and devotees across the globe have come-up with their best possible efforts celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of the Nobel Laureate poet, prominent singer Papia Sarwar could not remain isolated. Breaking her long eclipse in terms of releasing new albums, very choosy Tagore singer Papia Sarwar has passed an eventful year in 2011. After many years, the seasoned singer has rendered a number of songs in two series of albums—Shrutigeetabitan and Bangladesher Hridoy Hote. Even greater news for Papia fans is that her two solo albums will be released from Bangladesh and India under the banners of G-series and HMV respectively.
For the past 45 years, eminent Tagore singer Papia Sarwar has been amusing the Rabindra Sangeet aficionados by her unique style of rendering for more than four decades. The seasoned singer, however, is not happy with the current music industry, which is the root cause of keeping a distance of many seasoned singers like her.
She blames aggression of western culture for deteriorating the situation. ‘It’s an artificially created problem. The TV and radio channel promote the pop songs, rather stressing on the root of our heritage. Hence, the market of western genres of music is ever flourishing,’ observed Papia.
‘Even, the production companies sometimes show interest releasing albums of the selected singers like us. But they hardly show any interest in releasing albums by upcoming Tagore singers. In such situation how can a new talent create an impact on the wider range of listeners? As a result, people know names of a few singers,’ she added.
Papia Sarwar is optimistic about the future of Tagore songs in Bangladesh as there are many talented young singers. ‘The practice of Tagore songs is very rich here in Bangladesh. For a better scenario the young talents should be promoted properly. However, how the legacy would be carried on after our generation passes away is a grave concern.’
On the current trend of fusion and use of modern instruments with Tagore songs, Papia Sarwar commented that she encourages experiments unless it distorts the original tune. She believes that any kind of ‘bad’ experimentation on Tagore songs will never be accepted by the audience.
She got popularity as a Tagore singer in Bangladesh even before going to Shantiniketan. However, she believes her musical skill has developed at Shantiniketan. Graduated in Rabindra Sangeet from Visva Bharati University at Shantiniketan under a scholarship, Papia Sarwar had outstanding academic results. However, the Tagore devotee does not emphasise on degrees rather she believes in practice and performance. ‘The rewaz (vocal practice) is very important, no matter how experienced you are,’ said the veteran singer. ‘The practice is like prayer for me without which a single day would be unfulfilled.’
‘I went to Shantiniketan in 1973, the first batch after the Liberation War. It was like a dream come true, as I got legendary singers such as Kanika Bandyopadhyay, Neelima Sen, Ashesh Bandyopadhyay, Shantidev Ghosh and Shubinoy Roy as my mentors.’ ‘The scenic beauty of the place always moved me. Tastes of the different seasons were distinctive at the campus. I miss the calmness and the touch of green here in the chaotic city.’
-With New Age input
