I didn’t cut down on the stage performance, though not as much as the playback I did with Kishoreda. In what country or abroad? I have been with him in many big events and this feeling is making me emotional again and again.
In most of the events I used to sing first then Kishoreda. Naturally, the rule is that the junior will sing first. Then when he finished singing he would call me from the stage. He used to request Kanak to sing a duet with me on stage. Kanak, come! I always said Kishoreda please don’t say the word request! But he never heard it. This is how he called.
Both of us used to sing with our own straightforward body language on stage. But according to today’s current(!) Kishoreda thought that a little more acting is needed! I used to die of shame to look at me saying “you look like me” at that thought. The audience likes a little lover-lover performance in the duet song on stage, but I, Kishoreda, are both very clumsy in that performance! Finally, to reach the stage, I would pass through all the sakhires, while singing the gold of your ears, while keeping a distance, he would point to my earring by raising his finger. I used to laugh out loud on stage.
Once you raised your finger to say gold in your ear, coincidentally the push opened and an earring fell out! The audience can see everything clearly on the LED screen at the back. Everyone laughs, music playing in the background, Kishoreda says “I didn’t open her earrings, I just wanted them.” Again the audience laughs.
How many times our common promoter Alamgir Khan Alam Bhai in America has taken us together! Many of us artists lived together for months in Uncle Ollie’s empty house. Me, Rizia Apa, Bipasha Hayat, Sumna Haque we used to cook in turn. Kishoreda used to say beef Kanak Randho. No one else, Aarreaaaa! That kind of brad to eat and cry!
How many stories that he used to! In the remote areas of Chittagong, he ate a special fish dish. Shoal fish is processed, wrapped in banana leaves, coated with clay and cooked in boiling water. Then he used to say the aroma that came out when he opened it in such a way that it made his tongue water every time.
He used to say, “Do you know what ablution is?” I was talking about religious necessity. Kishoreda used to say, you say it but do you know how scientific it is? I used to say “no” like a dutiful student. Kishoredar explains “During ablution, we wet the pulse points of our hands, neck and feet. It cools the body. Purification comes with it.” And for which he regularly performed ablution!
He would ask again, tell me where the tulsi plant is in the Hindu house? I don’t know. They used to say that basil is the queen of herbs. Tulsi leaf juice is also very beneficial for our lungs. That is why tulsi plant is planted in every Hindu house on a high altar along the breathing level or chest. He never had a cold or cough. The doctor says to keep a tulsi plant where Kishoreda sits reading the paper in the morning.
He used to spread such small but very beautiful things very easily. It goes without saying that the studio assistants, managers were all so loving. Even asking for a cup of tea, Ayyub used to say, give me a cup of tea, father!
Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul Bhai is younger than our Surasmrat Alauddin Ali Bhai, but you used to call Ali Bhai Kishoreda and you used to call Bulbul Bhai Kishoreda as Tui. I used to try to unravel its mystery.
How many things do you remember? Three or four years ago many schools celebrated their centenary. Kishoreda and I started traveling all over Bangladesh doing those programs exclusively. Kishoreda used to say jokingly, at that time, a hundred years ago, there was no school in every neighborhood! Then life would pass by doing events!
His thirst for music was never satisfied. Shruti from Mirpur used to come to the studio on time. How many Habijabi songs have I sung, I have also sung fake songs. If two people ask for their eyes, they would say quietly during the recording that if you don’t sing for a day, you will get suffocated! Guy, maybe this song will become a good song too.
When he went to Rajshahi, Kishoreda would host any event. What loving care, giving Rajshahi silk gifts, feeding Kalairuti, walking on the banks of Padma, this special tea, those hot sweets. On the way back, he would give them a pile of dal pills, figs, mangoes, aha!
Once on the banks of the Padma we boarded a battery operated rickshaw. Kishoreda sat in front with the driver. I took a picture of Kishoreda in the front looking glass from behind. He is a historical picture! I gave that picture in the comment
Once I went to Jamalpur, Dewanganj for the centennial celebration of a school. What he eats on the train! What is there, God! Kishoreda alone eats twelve boiled eggs with various dishes! We ha!
We were together for a few days while singing in a film in Kolkata. I saw Kishoredar having fun eating for the first time. I couldn’t stop being surprised. Later, when he saw me laughing, he said, listen, I don’t just eat, I exercise and do regular pranayama and reyaz. This food is already digested. To my surprise.
Such a cheerful man, my daughter Faria was wearing yellow when Leenu Bhai, Khurshid Alam Bhai, Rizia Apa, Abida Apa, Dinat Munni, Subirada, Boudi were all dancing but Kishoreda was very shy. No one could take him into the dance!
He came to my house between one recording and another recording to take half an hour rest. I was very surprised to eat fresh mixed fruits mixed with chat masala and curd, he said hey, where did you learn this fruit! This is my mother’s palm. You know how useful it is!
We were supposed to sing for children. I am a child’s voice. He is in his father’s voice.
And where is it!😢
