Over three decades in the music industry, Prominent Bangladeshi Singer Kumar Bishwajit shares what music means to him and his responsibilities in representing Bengali music to the rest of the world with Anika Khan.
Kumar Bishwajit is a household name in Bangladesh. Born in the Port City of Bangladesh in 1963, Kumar has been musically inclined from a very early age. His contribution in the Bangladesh music scenario for the last three decades has earned him numerous awards including two National Film Awards and the love of millions of people.
WhatsOn caught up with this megastar about how he is spending days in the pandemic; Kumar said, “A lot of things have stopped for me. I couldn’t do the outside work. A lot of work came my way but I had to refuse due to the pandemic. Right at the moment, I am only doing the recording in my studio.”
He looked back at his childhood days and talked about his passions. “Since the time I could comprehend things and understand what it is to like something passionately, I knew for me it was Music. I used to be delighted if anyone presented me with any musical instruments. He further said that the harmonium that his father gifted and the Tape recorded his uncle bought him are still preserved in his house.
Growing up in a musically inclined neighborhood, (Thakurgao district) had an immense influence on his life. He said, “The ‘Baul Monks’ used to come every morning, singing from house to house to raise alms for the living. Every other day there would be different religious gigs happening around so naturally, I grew to love music”.
He further said that Music is the most powerful thing. “Starting from the 1952 language movement, music gives people hope, it corrects people, it purifies them. Just like you cannot buy someone’s love with money, you cannot be a singer with money,” said.
The early struggles in his life made him what he is today. He said, “If you take a person to the peak of the Himalayas with a helicopter, he will never understand its height, but if someone climbs it, only then does he understands the grandiosity of it”.
Talking about the music industry of Bangladesh, Kumar said, “It is my responsibility to uphold the Bengali culture to the rest of the world and put Bengali ‘Shankritik’ music on the map. I believe we are culturally enriched but we need more exposure and strengthen our communication.”