Introduction
Rahul Haque is our first male pick from the entire Bangladesh Smule community. He is selected from Sonar Tori Smule group monthly Collab of the month singing competitions. It was through few friends from Bangladesh Smule, like Saif-ul-Islam, that we come to know more about a very active and vibrant group of singers from Bangladesh community, of whom we are glad to know and make good friends. Thanks for a great support and patience during this very tedious process of selection of singers from the community. The region is very much nurtured by huge influences of West Bengal culture and rich in talents. It is with pleasure we picked Rahul Haque and Raian-E-Jannat from a large number of singers screened for this purpose. Thanks to Subhajit Chatterjee, our former featured artist and his constant support in screening candidates for this purpose. Subhajit is a Rabindra scholar and a talent of excellence.
The following is a very brief interview mainly discussing Rahul’s music in relation to Bangladesh culture background.
Please tell us about yourself
Myself, Mushfiqul Haque; I am from Bangladesh but most people know me as Rahul. I got my nickname from my mom at a very young age and stayed with me. I am a graduate in literature, have a bit of flare for graphic designing, and worked briefly as a graphic designer. I am currently working in the recruitment space as a human resources professional. I am an introvert by nature, when not “Smuling”. Otherwise, I am out in the fields playing cricket or football or while at home caring for my mother.
A brief description of your growing up with special reference to your music
I was never inclined to music in my younger days, although I did grow up listening to a lot of radio. My mother has a lovely voice and does sing a lot herself – Just not on Smule. Coming to think of it, we are a musical family as my brother also loves to sing. At my younger age I grew up listening to Bangladeshi movie songs of Andrew Kishore, Runa Laila, Sabina Yasmin, Syed Abdul Hadi; band music like (LRB, Miles, Warfaze, Feelings, Souls, Feedback and ARK); hindi movie songs of Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Chitra Singh, Kavitha Krishnamrty and ghazals of Jagjit Singh and Mehdi Hassan. I also had taste for popular western songs by Scorpions, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, John Denver, Metallica, Backstreet Boys and Eagles, just to name a few.
Rahul’s music taste is wide and so varied. He said his mom and her influence on his singing is a big factor. He says some of his earliest memories of childhood is her singing some Lata classics to him.
How is the music of Bangladesh is different from india
“As far as the classical music scene and its training concerned, the influences from mainland India’s gharanas is huge. Rabindra Sangeet and Nazrul Geeti are very much part of classical music training and widely practiced in Bangladesh. Bangladesh music lovers adore Rabindranath Tagore (he wrote the Bangladesh national anthem “Amar Shonar Bangla, Ami Tomai Bhalobashi”) and Kazi Nazrul Islam and it is national pride for Bangladeshis to perform their songs on their birthdays and national days like ” Independence day” and “Victory day”. Living legends Rezwana Choudhury Bonnya and Sadi Mohammad are two of the most recognized Bangladeshi singers of Rabindra Sangeet, who are also famous in India. For Nazrul Geeti, Feroza Begum is the most recognized singer. She is a disciple who has got the opportunity to learn directly from Nazrul himself. She is also famous in India. She is known as the legend of Nazrul Geeti in Bangladesh.”
Are you trained in Classical music, if so describe all experiences
I have had a very brief training during my younger days; but unfortunately never had the opportunity to pursue due to circumstances beyond one’s control. Given a choice, I would love to pursue. One of my uncles taught me how to play harmonium and gave some lessons about classical music at my early age but unfortunately couldn’t continue.
Do you think you can be a successful singer without classical music?
I am not saying that is one hundred percent true and having training in classical music is definitely a big advantage. I do know about Nazrul geeti and Rabinnbra sangeet but never practiced it. In the future I will be looking for opportunities to learn some.
Tell us more about Nazrul geeti, if you know about it
Nazrul Geeti or Nazrul Sangeet is, literally “music of Nazrul”, refers to the songs written and composed by Kazi Nazrul Islam. (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengali poet, writer, musician. He is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul Geeti integrates revolutionary notions as well as more spiritual, philosophical and romantic themes. Nazrul wrote and composed nearly 4,000 songs (including gramophone records), which are widely popular in Bangladesh and India. Some of the most notable Nazrul Geeti include “Notuner Gaan”, the national marching song of Bangladesh “Chal Chal Chal, urdho gogone baje madol” and “O Mon Romjaner Oi Rozar Sheshe”, an Islamic song on the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr (The Eid right after Ramadan). Nazrul produced a large body of poetry and music with themes that included religious devotion and rebellion against oppression. Nazrul’s activism for political and social justice earned him the title of “bidrohi kobi” (means rebel poet).
Does religious singing at mosques or typical singing styles of religious singing influence your singing style?
Here mostly we don’t practice religious songs. Therefore religious songs has no such influence in music. In some special religious occasions like “Ramadan” we perform “Hamdnath” (a certain kind of religious song) to praise almighty.
Rest of the world have been very prejudiced about nations with majority muslim populations. One of it is that believing in a religion affects the freedom of expression as an independent artist? Clear it for us as an artist coming from a Nation that declares Islam as the state religion.
Though majority of the population of Bangladesh is Muslim and as a Muslim I do have certain restrictions but it never affect anyones’ freedom of speech or expression. People of Bangladesh do love music and appreciate it a lot just like other countries. Bangladesh has quite a few extraordinary musicians and singers as well who have international recognition for their extraordinary talent.
Although we touched this before, please describe each stage – childhood, schooling & college, how music was a part of your growing? And now your band music stage performances.
As I explained earlier, my association with music started at a very early age due to my parent’s love and passion for music. However, it was not until around my university days when things started really moving and I discovered my love for music was beyond just a casual hobby… aka beyond singing out loud. Post University, I joined a band as the lead vocalist, where the group I belonged to would do a lot of jamming. it all started more as fun at a social gathering.
But eventually we went on to perform at events and live on-stage shows for a wider audience. We got a lot of accolades for these events and shows which kept us motivated. At this time, I developed an interest and eagerness to learn playing a musical instrument. I have a friend who played the guitar and through whom I was fascinated to learn to play the instrument. Through him, I learned how to play a guitar and eventually played during some of the performances we had put up as a group.
What are your impressions about the Smule experience?
Smule is no doubt an excellent platform and has given a lot of singers who are passionate about music and singing in general a great opportunity to showcase their talent. To me personally, it has been a great learning experience overall as I’ve not only had the opportunity to explore myself but also have had the opportunity to sing along with and learn from some extremely talented people. In the process, I’ve also been able to make some amazing friends who have become more like family now. It’s amazing how an online app has been able to connect people from across the globe.
What is your take on India’s pop music and new trends?
I can’t comment on Indian pop music specifically as I haven’t heard a lot of it. Having said that, I like pop music in general. Most of our music jam sessions are mostly based on pop and rock music.
Comment about the importance of classical music in this era? Yes or no why?
I think having that classical background certainly gives you an edge over someone who’s not classically trained. It definitely makes you more versatile and helps you broaden your horizon. Also makes you more confident? Given the kind of competition that exists in the music industry, you’ve got to have that edge to be able to survive and sustain in the industry.
What is music to you?
Music has somehow become an integral part of my life. As cliché as it may sound, it does help me express my emotions and lift up my mood on a dull day. At the same time, a lot of my singing depends a lot on my mood at the time and is so situational. I hear a lot of people say “aaj gaane ko mann nehi kar raha ya aaj ye gaana karne ka mann hai” This is so true to a large extent and relatable as your state of mind is a very important factor on the kind of song you want to sing or listen to.
Where do you want to go from here in 5 years?
I wanted to learn sound engineering so that I can take this passion to the next level. Moreover, it’s my dream and my desire to open a studio so that I can create my own music and work professionally.
Any achievements?
I never participated in any musical contests like many here. Coincidentally, I never get to talk much about achievements. Since the day I started performing with my band I got the flavor of true music. It gave me an opportunity to explore different types of music such as classical, hard Rock, western, pop, jazz, blues, folks etc. I enjoy the madness of performing in front of a huge crowd. Especially after joining Smule, I felt like I got wings to fly higher. Last year I was selected as the winner of a monthly singing contest from a very popular Smule group “Sonar Tori”. Now I got the super opportunity to become a core member of this amazing community.
