The Ekushey Padak winner Nazrul Sangeet singer Fatima Tuz Zohra says that she welcomes experimentations with songs of this genre as long as it does not distort the original composition.
In a recent programme aired on a private TV channel Zohra also presented songs using western instruments. ‘I don’t find anything wrong if some experimentation is done with Nazrul songs to maintain their appeal with the changing nature of time,’ Zohra told New Age.
‘However, I appreciate minimal changes so that they do not hamper the fundamentals of the composition,’ added Zohra.
She said that there are confusions among the Nazrul singers especially the young ones about which notations of Nazrul to be followed. ‘Kamal Dasgupta created notations of several Nazrul songs; Nitai Ghatak did notations of some of these songs in a slightly different way; however, there is nothing wrong in following both of them,’ further shared Zohra.
The artiste believes that those who want to become Nazrul singers should listen to the songs recorded at the time of the poet. Nazrul himself has recorded some of his songs in 1942 right before he became severely ill.
‘Such old records can still be found in organisations like Nazrul Institute,’ Zohra said.
The singer is optimistic regarding the future of Nazrul Sangeet in the country. She thinks a wrong assumption that the young generation is not interested in this genre prevails among many.
‘More and more youngsters are coming forward to learn Nazrul songs and they are doing really good through their hard work and commitment,’ revealed Zohra.
‘I host a musical programme titled Nil Payrar Gaan, aired on ETV every Wednesday. The programme features young Nazrul singers. I am astounded to discover so many young talented singers with praiseworthy skills in this genre,’ the artiste and the host shared her experience.
Fatima Tuz Zohra is currently working on her next solo album. ‘I hope, I will be able to release the album very soon; however, at the moment I will not elaborate on the details,’ said Zohra, who has already released about solo 17 music albums.
Zohra is the proud recipient of several national and international awards such as ‘Sher-e-Bangla Padak’, ‘Nazrul Academy Padak’, ‘National Press Club Award’ and several others.
-With New Age input
