Fatema's 40-year stint with music
Cultural Correspondent
It is now 40 long years since popular Nazrul singer Fatema Tuz Zohra first enthralled the audience with her musical performance. To celebrate the occasion cultural organisation Amra Shurjomukhi organised a reception programme for the singer at the BPW Club auditorium in Baily Road, recently. Popular singer Abdul Hadi handed over the crest to the singer in recognition of her singing career. There was a touch of nostalgia at the programme. Fatema began her performance with a Tagore song Promodey dhalia dinu mon. This was the same song that she had rendered in her first performance 40 years ago. Fatema vividly remembers her early years as a singer. The year was 1964 when little Fatema stepped into the music world through her first participation in a competition as well as won the first award of her life. 'I always remember that day whenever I am on stage. This is truly inspiring and I am still moved by the same emotions,' she reminisced. Since then there has been no looking back for Fatema. As she asserted, she has secured the first position in most competitions that she has participated in. She also claims to have won many awards in the 40 years of her singing career. Notwithstanding the limited 14 or 15 albums that have so far been released, she believes that her recordings offer superb music to the listeners. Fatema's greatest inspiration was her father. She admits that if her father had not supported her in her early days, she would never have been a singer. As she said, 'Proper guidance is very important for the youngsters. Unfortunately this element is absent among the contemporary singers.' Her keywords for aspiring musicians are devotion and dedication. 'I always felt that I could have gone further in these 40 years,' concludes Fatema.
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