Abbasuddin Ahmed

Abbasuddin Ahmed (1901-1959) folk singer, was born at Balarampur in Tufanganj

subdivision in the district of Cooch Bihar on 27 October 1901. His father, Zafar Ali
Ahmed, was a lawyer at the Tufanganj Sub-divisional Court.
Abbasuddin's interest in music grew through attendance at cultural functions at school
and college. He was largely self-taught, except for a brief period when he learnt music
from Ustad  Jamiruddin Khan in Kolkata. He sang different types of songs such as folk
songs, Modern songs, Patriotic songs  as well as Islamic songs. He also sang 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 Jari , Sari, Bhatiyali, Murshidi,
Bichchhedi (songs of estrangement), Marsiya, Dehatattwa and Pala gaan, specially 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.
Bhawaiya ,a genre of folk music is popular in northern part of Bangladesh, especially
Rangpur district, and in Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, North Dinajpur district of West Bengal
and Dhubri and Goalpara of Assam in India. Abbasuddin Ahmed is credited with
popularising and promoting the songs among the masses. Abbasuddin Ahmed made
significant contribution to Bhawaiya songs. He promoted the songs accross the country
and established Bhawaiya as a folk music genre. Folk music portrays our culture,
country, people, rustic life, rivers and more.    
In Kolkata Abbasuddin made a number of gramophone records with His Master's Voice
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 Haq 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 favor 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.
Abbasuddin wrote an account of his life as a singer in Amar xilpi 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
Svadhinata Dibas Puraskar in 1981 (posthumously). Abbasuddin Ahmed died on 30
December 1959.