After 13 years, Dhaka audiences got another chance to listen to the widely popular West Bengal singer-lyricist-composer Kabir Suman's timeless songs on Saturday evening. The concert celebrated 30 years of Suman's ground-breaking album "Tomake Chai".
Though the concert was scheduled to begin at 4:30 pm, audiences had to wait in long queue past the time to enter the venue at Dhaka's Institute of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB).
One of the waiting fans said, "I was expecting a better arrangement for a legendary musician like Kabir Suman in Dhaka."
After the long wait, all was forgiven when a humble Kabir Suman took the stage - in an auditorium filled to the brim.
"I'm from India but my language is Bangla, which is the national language of Bangladesh. It's another kind of bliss to be able to sing in Bangla, surrounded by native speakers," Suman's introductory comments drew applause from the audience.
The 73-year-old musician who mostly depends on wheelchair now to move around, said that he cannot play the guitar like before but his hands still have a good grip over the keyboard.
"... I'm still able to sing, that's enough. Sometimes I feel like singing while lying down," said Kabir Suman.
After exchanging pleasantries with the Dhaka audience, Suman talked about his album "Tomake Chai" that was released in 1992, when he was 43.
At the time, the whole room listened in absolute silence as Suman's voice made everyone forget the world outside, as he sang "Ek ek ta din mosrin..."
One after another, he sang, "Purano shei din-er kotha", "Haal chherona bondhu", "Tomake obhibadon priyotoma" and "Bhebona kinchho amay".
After that he took a break for 15 minutes but the master lyricist-musician with an inhaler in hand said, "I'm not fortunate enough to breathe my last here, in Bangladesh."
After some pause, he kept the concert going again.
Kabir Suman will sing again at the same venue on October 18 (Bangla Kheyal) and on October 21 (Modern Bangla Songs).
Organizers of the Kabir Suman concerts were not given permission to hold the events at Bangladesh National Museum in Shahbagh - which was originally set to host the events - by DMP.
With already sold out tickets, the venue was later changed to IEB with the same schedule.
