Abbasuddin Ahmed | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | (1901-10-27)27 October 1901 Tufanganj, Cooch Behar State, British India |
| Died | 30 December 1959(1959-12-30) (aged 58) Dacca, East Pakistan, Pakistan |
| Genres | Bhawaiya,Nazrul Geeti |
| Occupation(s) | singer, composer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Children | |
| Father | Ali Zafar Ahmed |
| Awards |  Pride of Performance Independence Day AwardShilpakala Academy Award |
Abbasuddin Ahmed (27 October 1901 – 30 December 1959)[1] was aPakistani folk song composer and singer born in theBengal province ofBritish India. He was known forBhawaiya folk song which is a style commonly found inRangpur,Undivided Goalpara district andCooch Behar.
Ahmed was born in theTufanganj subdivision ofCooch Behar district (now in India). His father, Zafar Ali Ahmed, was a lawyer atTufanganj court.[2] He was educated in schools and a college inNorth Bengal and was attracted to music by the cultural programs the offered. He was largely a self-taught composer and singer, though for a brief period he learned music from Ustad Jamiruddin Khan inKolkata.
Ahmed started his career by singing modern Bangla songs for theHis Master's Voice studios, followed by modern songs of poetKazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh. He then proposed to Nazrul Islam to write and tune Islamic songs, which he sang in numerous numbers and recorded for the His Master's Voice studios. He has a pioneering role in bringing the music to the home of the Indian Muslims and arousing them from a state of backwardness. He was the first Muslim in erstwhile India who used his own name in the record labels. Before Abbassddin Ahmed, Muslim singers would use pseudo names, so that their Muslim identity would be anonymous. He later recorded Bhawaiya, Khirol and Chatka which were famous inUndivided Goalpara District,Cooch Behar andRangpur. Later he started to sing other folk songs like jaari, sari, bhatiyali, murshidi, bichchhedi (songs of estrangement), marsiya, dehatattwa, and musical plays. He also collaborated with,Jasimuddin andGolam Mostafa.[3][4]
Ahmed's first sonMustafa Kamal served as theChief Justice of Bangladesh during June–December 1999. His only daughter,Ferdausi Rahman is a classical musician. His youngest son,Mustafa Zaman Abbasi, is a folk researcher, writer, singer and social worker.
Ahmed's granddaughter,Nashid Kamal, daughter of Mustafa Kamal, is a singer, professor of demography and writer.[6]
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