Mustak Ahamed Monir, Sarishabari
Nishat Afza Arzoo, a popular classical singer hailing from Mymensingh, has been continuing her devotion for classical music for decades.
Born to Dr MA Halim and Shamsun Nahar in Mymensingh city’s Shankipara in 1969, Nishat’s passion for music surfaced in childhood and it is still going on. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Nishat geared up her practice for classical music.
A meritorious student, Nishat did her Honours and Masters from the Faculty of Fisheries at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) in 1996 and 1997 respectively. Later she joined Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) as a Scientific Officer and continued her service for three years but she resigned from her post for better interest of her family and music as well.
Nishat is a special grade artiste of Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television for Nazrul, Tagore and modern songs.
On different occasions since her early life, Nishat took 'taalim' (lessons) under the guidance of Ustad Mithun Dey, Gopal Dutt, Omar Faruq, Sohrab Hossain, Sudhin Das, Khalid Hossain and Sujit Mustafa. She also took lessons in Tagore songs from Sanjida Khatun, Fahmida Khatun, Ajit Roy, Wahidul Haque, Dr. ABM Nurul Anwar and Sadi Mohammad.
Nishat expressed her debt to family members and relatives, especially to her father MA Halim, an eminent doctor who supported her passion for music since childhood. “When I was a student, my father, a good soul used to take me Dhaka for taalim from eminent classical maestros that established my devotion for classical notes gradually”, said Nishat.
A mother of two daughters-Benazir Binte Rafique and Anika Nower Binte Rafique, both university students, Nishat said her father was also a familiar in the city as body builder, sports organiser and founder of Mymensingh Muslim Institutes’ gymnasium but he had great passion for classical music.
“My father used to carry a mini tape recorder to record the taalim of the ustads in Dhaka so that I could practice with accuracy. He is a great inspiration for my music life”, said Nishat.
On classical music, Nishat said the classical music needs a lot of practice with due patience and for the better survival of music, practice of classical music should be geared up at every level.
Nishat has been honoured by different cultural organizations so far for her commitment and talent in both Tagore and Nazrul songs.
