Mesmerising tunes of Nikhil Chandra Sarker
Nikhil Chandra Sarker can deeply involve an audience with the mesmerising tunes of his flute. Recently Nikhil had a few words with this correspondent about his passion for the flute.
Nikhil, son of late Horalal Chandra Sarker was born at Homna, under Comilla district.
Following in the footsteps of his father who had made the flute his profession, Nikil took to the instrument as a young boy. Now the flute has become a source of income. “I earn my bread making and selling flutes of different kinds on various occasions round the year,” said the 50-year-old Nikhil.
Nikhil says that with his monthly income of Taka 8,000-10,000, he can support his five-member family. “At the same time I enjoy this profession as I get the chance to wander through different districts of the country on various occasions,” he said.
For the first time, Nikhil visited Trishal in Mymensingh this year to attend a three-day fair marking the birth anniversary of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. “The sales were satisfactory and I hope to return next year with more flutes,” said an optimistic Nikhil.
“I also attend many other national festivals including Pahela Baishakh in Dhaka with my flutes and enjoy myself thoroughly,” said Nikhil.
“This profession is different from others as one can enjoy oneself as an artiste while drawing respect and honour from different quarters,” asserted Nikhil.
However, he lamented the fact that in recent years, the younger generation has very little interest in the flute, the quintessential instrument that accompanies a large variety of songs. Neither have the authorities concerned taken steps to popularise this instrument among the new generation.” Like the flute, many other local instruments are fast losing their appeal and should be popularised to preserve our cultural identity,” concluded Nikhil.
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