In the sudden death of Fakir Alamgir, Bangladesh music world has lost one of its highly talented and popular music artistes. Alamgir was a singer with a gifted voice especially suiting songs requiring both inner force and spirit --- and, of course, melodiousness. Thanks to these qualities, the singer could win thousands of ardent admirers across the country in his over four decade long career. Since the early days in his music career, Alamgir has amply demonstrated his flair for 'gono sangeet', a genre in which songs champion humanity over exploitations and social discrimination. Moreover, this branch of vocal music remains uncompromising all through. It centres around human freedoms of all kinds.
In his long career as a 'mass and folk singer', he didn't have to struggle much to reach a premier position in the Bangladesh music world. Taking his early musical lessons from Altaf Mahmud, a doyen of many popular 'protest songs' in the country, Alamgir continued to hone his artistic skill and variety. In the following years, the young singer opted for the different but allied fields of 'gono sangeet'. Despite being rooted in the message-based popular pieces, he had kept fanning out to the other 'gono sangeet' branches. His search for the myriad areas of Bangla popular songs had its roots in his tutorship under Altaf Mahmud, etched out in an immortal place in the Bangladesh music world for his creation 'Aamar Bhaiyer Rokte Rangano Ekushey February'.
Sporadically singing in the late sixties-early seventies, Fakir Alamgir found a firm footing in independent Bangladesh. Eventually, the free and sovereign country's music world became his trusted platform which allowed him the space to engage in musical experiments with various types of 'gono sangeet'. In the late 1970s, the restless singer made forays into popular theme-based songs. The appeal of these songs did not confine him to and particular class. Their universality won him a prestigious place among all types of the connoisseurs of Bangla 'gono sangeet' and folk tune-based popular pieces.
It is now indisputably established that it was the Kolkata-based Salil Chowdhury the maestro, who pioneered Bangla 'gono sangeet' in both parts of Bengal in the 1950s and the '60s. Hundreds of songs on the Bengal famine, workers oppression, farmers protests against the feudal lords were set to tune by this prolific composer. He also worked for the cinema industry. Even his popularly viewed romance-laden film songs carried strong social messages. Viewing the vast range of his musical genius, many feel tempted to compare him with world-reputed composers. There had been a number of revolutionary singers in Bengal as well. They included Hemango Biswas, Pratul and a lot of their contemporaries. The repertoire of 'gono sangeet' had remarkably been enriched by Abdul Latif in East Bengal in the 1950s. He is considered another pioneer of these 'people's songs' in the land in the same decade. Abdul Latif had beside him after Altaf Mahmud in the next two decades stalwarts like Sheikh Lutfur Rahman, Ajit Roy, Shubhendu Chakraborty, Rathindralal Roy et al. A number of 'gono sangeet' groups such as Udichi, Kranti, Chhayanaut, DU's Sangskriti Sangsad continued providing patronage and infrastructural support to both the senior and emerging singers. Being a 'gono sangeet' activist, Fakir Alamgir also formed his own group called Wrishijo Shilpi Goshthi. It became greatly popular with the younger 'gono sangeet' lovers.
During the 1971 Liberation War, dozens of patriotic or war-songs used to be broadcast by the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra (The Independent Bengal Radio). Some would like to call these songs 'gono sangeet'. Many others disagree. According to them, these songs are compositions that fall between the high-spirit melodies aimed at inspiring the Freedom Fighters, and the people stuck in occupied Bangladesh. However, in a broader sense these especially composed songs could be viewed as being under the category of 'Muktijuddher Gono Sangeet'. The musicians, composers and lyricists who had kept this genre vibrant include Samar Das, Sujoy Shyam, Apel Mahmud, Rathindralal Roy and many others. Abdul Jabbar, Fazle Khoda, Gobinda Haldar, Gazi Mazharul Anwar, Anwar Parvez also included them. The songs that vividly portray the spirit of the Liberation War include 'Joy Bangla, Banglar Joy', 'Ekti Phoolke Bachabo Boley Juddho Kori', 'Shono Ekti Mujiborer Kanthaswarer Dhwani Theke', 'Nongor Tolo Tolo', 'Salam Salam Hajar Salam', 'Purbo Digontey Shurjo Uthechhey' and dozens of others.
Prior to the 1971 Liberation War, the 1969 mass upsurge and the 1952 Language Movement triggered a number of immortal songs. Apart from 'Aamar Bhaiyer Rokte Rangano…' tuned in by Altaf Mahmud, there was another song which poignantly highlighted the Ekushey bloodbath. It was sung by Abdul Latif. The song opens with the lines, 'Tora Dhakar Shahar Rokte Bhasaili …' In 1969 the song 'Bicharpoti, Tomar Bichar Korbe Jara Aaj Jegechhe Shei Janata' carried the total essence of the mass upsurge. The song used to be presented by Kranti artistes in chorus before public meetings.
Fakir Alamgir loved to try all kinds of 'gono sangeet', including the Western ones. As a corollary he remained moved by the world's first-ever left anthem 'the International' throughout his music career. The song with its first line 'We shall overcome … one day', in Bengali 'Aamra korbo joy …. ekdin' had kept young radical music lovers spellbound for nearly a century around the world including Bengal. Alamgir didn't show much interest in conventional Bangla romantic songs. One of his most favourite revolutionary pieces targeting the colonial British period was Mukunda Das's 'Bhoy ki moroney, rakhite santaney …' As he sang the piece in his full-throated voice, shaking his whole body to the beat of drums, the performance would cast a spell on the listeners present at any musical soiree. Fakir Alamgir presented to the country's listeners songs composed on Nelson Mandela, and on John Henry ('Naam tar chhilo John Henry'). It was originally sung by Hemango Biswas.
Perhaps there is no land in the world which takes special pride in its unique musical genre 'gono sangeet'. Apart from the earlier ones, relatively modern poets like Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Dwijendralal Roy et al had generously enriched the treasure of Bangla patriotic songs. Some of them later became immortal as pure 'gono sangeet'. However, the genre of black protest songs in the USA is also likened by many to 'gono sangeet'. Some of the prominent artistes who sang these songs include Paul Robeson, Bessie Smith, Ellisha, Steven Flagg, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, Rihanna, and, of course, the younger generation sensation Beyonce.
At this point, one cannot bypass the anti-establishment English songs band the Beatles. One should also keep in mind the 1971 'Concert for Bangladesh' in New York. The historic musical event was organised by the Beatles member George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan at the city's Madison Square Garden. The concert also had Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Leon Russel and Eric Clapton. A statistics will be difficult on finding out how many of today's younger generation take interest in songs of protesting against injustice and achieving the dream of an exploitation-free society. Rock and heavy metal bands are fast replacing pure music. As signs of the dawning of a new era, sections of younger musical activists are now seen turning to the messages of protecting biodiversity, cutting greenhouse gases etc to stop global warming and save the planet.