As soon as she put her fingers on harmonium rids, the audience started anticipating the number Shahnaz Rahmatullah would present as the
first song of her performance.
And when she began her presentation with a very popular patriotic number Ekbar jete dena, ‘wow’ was the response from the houseful audience at the Utsav Hall of the Radisson Hotel on Friday.After a year, the singer, who announced that she would quit her eventful music career in the past year, appeared in a public show and presented three popular songs.
Shahnaz Rahmatullah, however, claimed that it was not her comeback in music; it was, rather, a performance to express her gratitude to the Citi Bank NA that honoured her with a lifetime achievement award in the evening.
Another popular singer, Samina Chowdhury, who claimed Shahnaz Rahmatullah to be one of her inspirations, also covered eight popular songs recorded by the music genius in the show.
This was the 10th consecutive arrangement of such porogramme by the bank since it initiated to honour the leading singers of the country in 2004.
Even though she does not practice music these days, Shahnaz’s high-pitch voice modulation while presenting one of the most popular sentimental numbers in the repertory of Bangla music Je chhilo dristir simanay just moved the audience. The captivated audience also started humming with the raga based sentimental song.
Her last presentation in the evening was another popular patriotic number Ektara tui desher katha. Her soulful voice modulation created such a powerful spell on the emotional listeners that they loudly requested the singer not to quit music saying ‘Ektara [Shahnaz Rahmatullah] must not leave music’.
Earlier another brilliant singer Samina Chowdhury presented eight romantic and sentimental numbers including Tomar agune porano e duti chokhe, Sagorer soikote ke jeno dur hote, Sagorer tir theke misti kichhu hawa ene, Khola janalay, Phuler kane bhromor ese, Kichhu kichhu mon achhey.
While presenting the songs Samina Chowdhury shared about the selection of the songs and the rehearsals she did with Shahnaz, a great inspiration for Samina.
Though the amiable singer repeatedly said, ‘may be I’m not transporting the emotion of these songs as Chachi [Shahnaz Rahmatullah] could do to satisfy the audience’. Samina, indeed, could guide the emotion of the listeners switching from romantic to sentimental and vice versa.
The audience expressed satisfaction when Samina with her unique melodious voice rendered romantic numbers like Sagorer soikote ke jeno dur hote, Sagorer tir theke misti kichhu hawa ene.
The skilled singer was equally successful while presenting the raga based sentimental number Tomar agune porano e duti chokhe and made the audience nostalgic.
The audience left the hall with full satisfaction. ‘Shahnaz is one of the diamonds that our music industry has so far got. Audience of our country will always listen to her songs’, said Gazi Mazharul Anwar, noted songwriter, film director and producer, who was present at the programme.
‘We feel honoured to have the chance to honour a singer like Shahnaz Rahmatulla,’ said Rashed Maksud, managing director of Citi Bank (Bangladesh).
Shahnaz Rahmatullah was born in 1953 in Dhaka. She learnt classical from prominent maestro Ustad Munier Hossain, and Gazal from Mehedi Hasan. Her first playback was in 1963 in the film Natun Sur. She has so far been awarded the Ekushey Padak, National Film Award, Bachsas, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Award and many more.
-With New Age input
