Abbas Uddin

Abbas Uddin Ahmed (Bangla: আব্বাসউদ্দিন) (27 October 1901-30 December 1959), popularly known by his first name, was a Bangla folk singer. He was born at Balarampur in Tufanganj subdivision in the district of Cooch Bihar. His father, Zafar Ali Ahmed, was a lawyer at the Tufanganj Sub-divisional Court.

Career in music

Abbasuddin's interest in music grew through attendance at cultural functions at school and college. He was self-taught, except for a brief period when he learnt music from Ustad Jamiruddin Khan in Kolkata and Ustad Kader Buksh in Murshidabad. He sang different types of songs such as folk songs, modern songs, patriotic songs, Islamic songs, and Urdu songs. But Abbasuddin became renowned mainly as a singer of folk songs.

Initially, he became famous for bhawaiya, Ksirol, Chatka in Rangpur, and Cooch Bihar. He became increasingly popular with his rendition of jaari, sari, bhatiyali, murshidi, Bichchhedi (songs of estrangement), Marsiya, Dehatattwa, and pala gan, especially when these were made into gramophone records. No other singer could surpass his emotional, full-throated rendition of folk songs. He also sang songs on Islamic themes composed by kazi nazrul islam, jasimuddin and golam mostafa.

In Kolkata, Abbasuddin made a number of gramophone records with His Master's Voice (HMV) as well as with Megaphone, Twin and Regal. By singing at various functions in villages, towns and cities as well as by recording his songs, Abbasuddin made music acceptable and popular in conservative Bengali Muslim society.

Abbasuddin stayed in Kolkata from 1931 to 1947. Initially, he worked temporarily as a clerk in the DPI office and then in the Department of Irrigation in a permanent post. When A. K. Fazlul huq was Chief Minister, Abbasuddin was given a Government job as a recording expert. In the 1940s, Abbasuddin's songs played a significant role in raising the Muslim public opinion in favour of the Pakistan movement. In 1947, after partition, he joined the Department of Information and Broadcasting as an additional song organiser. As a representative of Pakistan, he participated at the South East Asia Conference in Manila in 1955, at the International Folk Music Conference in Germany in 1956 and at the Bengali Cultural Conference in Rangoon in 1957.

Books and awards

Abbasuddin wrote an account of his life as a singer in "Amar Shilpi Jibaner Katha" (1960). For his invaluable contribution to music he was posthumously honoured with the "Pride of Performance Award" in 1960, Shilpakala Academy Award in 1979 (posthumously) and Swadhinata Dibas Puraskar in 1981 (posthumously). His eldest son, Justice Mustafa Kamal is a Former Chief Justice of Bangladesh and former Chairman of the Law Commission. His daughter, Ferdousi Rahman, his youngest son, Mustafa Zaman Abbasi, and his granddaughters, Nashid Kamal and Samira Abbasi, are also renowned singers. His great grand daughter Armeen Musa is also an upcoming artist in Bangla music.