Playing intricately groovy bass lines while effortlessly singing in tune with his ethereal voice at the same time, often clad in his signature hat and always well-fashioned both on and off stage, Shafin Ahmed was an epitome of showmanship. The artiste was a larger-than-life persona not only in the history of Bangla rock music but also in the history of Bangladeshi art, regardless of mediums.

Great artistes are often complicated characters and critical by nature. They audaciously critique social norms and inspire radical ideas with their art that shapes human experiences, and Shafin Ahmed was no different. 

The musical zenith, who pioneered a new wave of Bangla music with his lifelong band Miles, also had an ego backed by an equivalent prodigal talent.
He was uncensored and brutally honest with his words. During the peak years of the previous regime, he fearlessly questioned the government publicly when most of his fellow artistes were tight-lipped.  

Last year, two weeks before 36th July, during the crux of the Anti-discrimination Students Movement (SAD) that toppled the previous regime, when all of us were surviving through a chaotic mental state, he quietly left us far away from his beloved Bangladesh.

Hence, on February 13, the eve of his birthday, his loved ones, fellow musicians, and admirers from across generations—from those who grew up in the 1990s to Gen Z—gathered at the capital's Aloki for the tribute show "Echoes Of A Legend". 

The glittering lineup consisted of AvoidRafa, Artcell, Dalchhut, Feedback, and, of course, Miles, among others. All of their set lists for the night wholly adorned some of the most iconic songs of Miles, from "Dorodiya", "Bhalobeshona", and "Polashir Prantor", "Hello Dhaka", "Firiye Dao", and "Chand Tara"—where Shafin Ahmed was the lead vocal. 

Alongside, the amazing rapper Azraf Ahmed Ozzy, who is also Shafin Ahmed's elder son, graciously performed a beautiful version of his father's "Ki Jadu".

 Upon entering the main hall where the concert took place, to my utter surprise, my eyes caught a curated section. The section adorned two pairs of Shafin Ahmed's bass guitars and acoustic guitars, ten hats, a mannequin dressed in an outfit that he wore, and a collection of archival images featuring moments from his life. 

As a lifelong fan of Miles, I stopped in my tracks and slowly walked towards it, entirely engulfed in emotions.

Having attended far too many concerts since my teenage years and worked on organising some of the most notable art-related events in Dhaka in recent memory, I thought I had experienced it all. But somehow, the tenderness of an amateurishly curated section touched my emotions in a way nothing ever had before.

When Miles finally took to the stage, it was already past 12am midnight, marking 14th February—Shafin Ahmed's birthday. Soon, every single soul inside the hall who gathered that night to celebrate the life and legacy of a maestro sang "Happy Birthday" in the most intimate unison.
After Miles completed their set, Shafin Ahmed's birthday cake was cut on stage, in presence of his family members and fellow musicians. 

Hamim Ahmed, lead guitarist of Miles, shared with the audience, stating, "It's February 14—Shafin's birthday, the Valentine boy! And this is his first birthday where he is not with us, not with me. It's very difficult for me to explain and control my emotions while singing his songs. He was extraordinary—his ability to sing and play bass live simultaneously was on a different level, even by today's standards. All the craze about Miles, all the love we still receive—he played such a major part in it."

The singer continued, "As siblings grow up, they typically take different paths in life, but somehow, our lives remained bound together through music. No matter what happened between us, at the end of the day, he was my brother."

"What we did together was immense; people only know fragments of our journey, but we know what we went through. Losing him feels like losing a part of myself—it's difficult to accept. He will live on through his music," he concluded.