Ferdous Wahid was the most dazzling artist of the early 1970s. Wearing funky and flowery printed shirts, bell-bottom trousers and large sunglasses – he was the first to bring disco elements into Bangla songs and is still going strong, writes Faizul Khan Tanim

FERDOUS Wahid is a symbol of pop with his flashy clothes and cheerful songs, and his music is loved by millions today. As a pop star, he started wearing sunglasses and made it a fashion statement. Watching Elvis in his bright, shiny attire and glasses was a huge encouragement for him. He remembers the first time he went to record a song for a TV programme, how all the makeup and high-powered light glowing on his face brought tears to his eyes. Inspiration struck, and he took the help of goggles to cover up those tears of joy. And from that day it became Wahid’s signature. Today, Wahid fondly remembers, ‘Soon, people could not even identify me without the pair of sunglasses. My glitzy clothes and glasses were not just a style but an identity for me, something with which my fans associated with – the “me” they knew and loved.’

This superstar had a starry line-up of gurus he went to. Like most other musicians, he too suffered obstacles in his attempt to reach for the stars but the phrase ‘if there is a will there is a way’ absolutely complemented his race towards becoming the singer and superstar that he is today. Wahid reminisces, ‘I remember humming the Tagore song Mayabono Biharini when I was in class four. My father used to be friends with musical gurus like Abdul Alim, Sohrab Hossain and Barin Majumder. And sometimes I used to sing in front of them.

‘Then one day it just happened…while in class eight, I went to see a very popular movie, Armaan, in 1965. And as soon as the first note of the song Akele na jana – sung by Ahmed Rushdie and composed by Sohail Rana – hit my ears, it became an addiction for me. And I wasn’t free absolutely from the grip of the obsession until I bought a gramophone record of the soundtrack. I spent Tk 9 in 1965 to buy it from a shop opposite what is now the National Press Club. The music, the beats, everything was so amazing that I started learning that song by heart from that record. That was the beginning of a dream: a dream to become a singer.’

Wahid had his hard times as well. By the time he was going to sit for his matriculation exams, he had already collected 30 to 40 records and made his mother furious by concentrating on songs rather than studies. That led his enraged mother to break all those records along with the player. Wahid recalls, ‘I was so heartbroken. It was as if an organ of my body was removed imparting excruciating pain.’

But with the positive thought that maybe everything happens for a reason, he overcame the shock of the broken records and started to study hard. To his family’s astonishment and disbelief, he landed up with a first division in his exams. He still remembers that day in 1970 when his parents rewarded him by letting him learn singing. ‘It was probably the biggest incentive an upcoming singer could get. I had four celebrated classical teachers – Ustad Madan Mohan Das, Ustad Sadek Ali, Ustad Sohrab Hossain and finally Ustad Fazlul Huq; all of them taught me the basics.’

In the meantime, Wahid had already started going back and forth between Canada and Bangladesh, as his family had to travel frequently. The year was 1968 when he first went to Canada and the coming and going continued till 1975. Meanwhile, Wahid had passed the intermediate examinations and got admission to Dhaka University.

When in Canada, he missed Bangladesh immensely and tried to drown his misery by watching television programs. There, he saw Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Tom Jones and other artistes. ‘Elvis caught my attention with his flowery prints and designer wardrobe along with his remarkable hairdo and sunglasses. I slowly got engulfed by the whole Elvis extravaganza. The music style, the dance steps; everything was breathtaking and made me wonder why not sing like this in Bangladesh and bring a change?’

By the end of 1972 during his university life he met Firoz Shai. Wahid says Firoz Shai spotted him while he was singing at amateur gigs on the campus. ‘He liked my style and offered me to sing as a guest singer with Spondon Shilpi Goshthi headed by then Dr Nasir Ahmed Opu. Eventually, I met Alam Khan [brother of Azam Khan] who asked me to do playbacks for films. That phase of auditioning in front of music directors is still memorable. I recorded my first playback for Chhandapatan by the end of 1973 but the film was never released and hence my first playback song with Sabina Yasmin to get released and becoming a hit was Eii duti chokh in Ontoraley. At that time, all recordings were done at the FDC.’

In the meantime, he had become good friends with Azam Khan. And his introduction to Firoz Shai and Alam Khan changed certain avenues of music. Wahid recounts, ‘The musical history of Bangladesh would have been completely different if Firoz Shai did not organise the band Uchharon, named by Enayetullah Khan of Dhaka Courier back then.

The band was comprised of Idu on drums, Ishtiaque and Nilu as lead and rhythm guitarists, Larry on bass guitars, Hablu on congo while Azam Khan and I used to sing. This altogether magical line-up could not continue for more than two years.’

Their first performance with Uchharon was on March 28 in 1974 in the WAPDA auditorium and with songs like Orey saleka orey maleka, Highcourt er majarey and Eije duniya, ‘it was an electrifying performance to begin with,’ says Wahid.

Almost everyone in the audience was madly in love with the songs, tunes and burning lyrics and danced till they dropped, he adds. ‘It is quite impossible to explain the situation and atmosphere to anyone who was not there.’

Getting record deals in those days was tough. An artiste had to be really top notch in order to be even considered. That same year as Uchharon’s mind-boggling live act, both Wahid and Azam Khan got album deals from Dhaka Record Company. Coordinated by Alam Khan and organised by Firoz Shai, they were set to record their debut albums.

‘The recording charge was then Tk 300, which was arranged with a lot of difficulty. I still remember Syed Siddique Rumi, owner of the brand shop now called Cat’s Eye putting in Tk 135; I gave 55, while another friend Shamim invested the rest. I recorded four songs which became big hits. Music enthusiasts were seen humming my songs Chaad jagey tara jagey, Duniyata koto boro and more. Mr Majid of Dhaka Record Company immensely supported me at that time,’ Wahid recalls.

‘Both Azam’s album and mine made it big selling 7,500 copies each, making Azam the first king of popular music to not only the fans but also many of us, the musicians. Firoz Shai was given the title Father of Modern Music. Our reign as emperors of modern music began. Suddenly, music was not only about tunes but performance as well. Our contemporary wardrobe, accessories were all happening back then.’

In December 1975, he sang Emon ekta ma de na in Abdullah Abu Sayeed’s TV programme Saptabarna which was aired on the 24th. That was the first time the concept of lip singing was introduced in Bangladesh Television by him. And the most memorable moment was, as he narrates, on December 25 when everyone recognised him as the singer wearing goggles and the happy uniform as he came out of his house. To his surprise, he realised that he was becoming a star and was loved by the young generation.

Then there was no looking back. He recorded hit songs like Agey jodi janitam in 1977, Mamonia in 1978. He kept singing for films and released singles like Eije duniya kishero lagiya and more. He kept on rolling till 1986 when he went into hibernation.

The break was mainly because he had to leave Bangladesh and go stay with his family in Canada. And when he returned after ten years in 1996, no one recognised him anymore. With a heavy heart, Ferdous says, ‘No one called me to sing anymore, not until in 2002 when my son Habib asked me not to quit music. He recorded music from the UK, sent it over and asked me to sing on tracks composed by him.

‘I honestly believe that I gained another life in 2002. I do not think this would have been possible without Habib’s backup and suddenly my new songs were becoming hits again. Enjoying the time as a superstar after 32 years was magnificent and I enjoyed and cherished just that fact. But even today the simple question haunts me: When I came back from abroad, no one helped me. Did I not have any contribution to this music industry? Why did my son have to back me up, and not other musicians here?’

Most of the Ferdous Wahid fans think Mamonia is his greatest hit. It is such a popular song that it has been remixed five times till now. Wahid says, ‘The most astonishing fact about its success is that people accept this song the same way that they did 30 years back swaying sideways and singing in the most befitting manner. The lyric was Md Nurul Huda’s and the music Lucky Akhand’s. The funny thing is that those who danced to the song in a recent musical video are children of those who had danced to the same song in its first musical video 30 years back. Amazing, eh?’

As our taste of music has evolved and changed with time, Wahid has also accommodated himself in this generation’s music. He thinks that one who is a real musician has no choice but to accept contemporary tunes and compositions. Otherwise, it is the musician’s loss and nothing else. And for him, it is mostly the technological change; pop music follows the universal grammar and he had little trouble catching up.

Ferdous Wahid believes a lot of good music is being composed now. The musical competitions and talent hunts have added a new dimension to the music industry. As there is constant experimentation, people now have a wide range of music to choose their favourites from.

Wahid wants to continue singing, but only quality songs. One of his dreams is to sing songs, composed by musicians of his time but orchestrated by Habib. ‘I want to give some classical presentation to this nation. The quantity would be less but at this age I do not want to compromise the quality.’