The Great Music Composer

In July 2011, we planned a concept-based musical programme on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of our Pharmaceutical Executive Club Ltd. We decided to organise the musical programme to pay tribute to 10 legendary Bangla music composers from both sides of the border. Selecting five composers from the western side of Bengal was really hard since a large number of music legends had thronged the Kolkata music industry after Panchakabi since the 1930s.The five selected composers were Kamol Dasgupta, Robin Chattapaddhya, Salil Chowdhury, Hemanta Mukhopaddhya and Sudhin Dasgupta.

However, selecting five composers from our side of Bengal was rather easy, although a good number of composers dominated our music industry during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. And of these five legends, the name of Khandaker Nurul Alam was an obvious choice. The others were Abdul Ahad, Khan Ataur Rahman, Satya Saha and Robin Ghosh. Khandaker Nurul Alam and Robin Ghosh were still alive and we decided to invite them to the programme. I personally went to the residence of Khandaker Nurul Alam to invite him to the programme; that was my first meeting with the maestro. I knew he was paralysed but at my first meeting I was quite shocked to see him in a wheel chair. I had the impression that his health was steadily going downhill. His wife gave me his photograph and filled me in with other details about him.  We were told that he could not attend our programme, however Robin Ghosh, the only other surviving composer (who passed away on February 13) graced the programme. After the programme I went to see Alam again and returned the photographs and gave him our brochure. Alam was very happy to see me. That was my last opportunity to meet him.

Khandaker Nurul Alam was born in Assam but after partition, their family came to settle in the-then East Pakistan. He did his matriculation from Noakhali Zilla School along with another legendary lyricist of the country KG Mostafa. Both of them met again at Dhaka University and shared many unbounded memories of the beginning of their music career. He was not only a great music composer, but also a very good singer, teacher and mentor.

Khandaker Nurul Alam is no more with us now, but his musical work, commitment, dedication and his outstanding personality will remain alive in the history of Bangla music for many years to come. His all time great songs “Chokh Je Moner Kotha Bole”, “Ek Boroshar Brishtitey Bhije”, “Eto Shukh Shoibo Kemon Kore”, “Ami Chand Ke Bolechhi Aj Ratey”, “Ke Jeno Aj Amar Chokhe” and “Janam Janam Dhore Prem Piyashi” will always symbolise the melodious Bangla songs of the golden era of the 1960s-80s.

The writer is a music and film buff.