The rail line of Nakhalpara is my favorite place in many reasons. There are so many colorful people lives here. So many activities are happened around the rail line. The Shaheed Miner is near to the rail line and everyday many beautiful songs are sung there. Modern, post-modern, band to Khaja baba’s Mahfil etc. Somebody collected money by singing songs. Somebody sold their medicines by singing songs.
Once a Thursday evening, I was going to the side of Shaheed Miner. I saw a crowed. people were standing around Shaheed Miner. I heard a sound of music. I took a place of first line because I was a boy. I saw four artists, And a girls whose age was fourteen or fifteen. She also was singing a song. One played Dall, one played key-board. The key-board is very small like a toy. Another singer played Datara who wear a black glasse. I never saw any street artist who wear a black glasse.
When I enter, the girl artist already finished her song. The lines of the song were very interesting.
Karimon babu wants to give me sari
[forget the name] babu wants to give me churi.
I mostly remember these two lines of the girl’s song. Then the black glasses’ man was started to sing the song. He had gave a small speech before sang the song. I knew that he lives in Manikgong. He is a street singer. After his speech he started to sing a song. Some lines of the song I memorized.
You give me as much as pain
I store it my heart
One day I know the pain will end.
I never find this artist ever. I mean he has not come to Nakhalpara, or if he had come I would never see him again. Gradually I forget him.
I started my job in CAAC. Then I was crazy about Cycling in Teknaf to Tetulia. I found as my Cycling partner was Mona vi. Mona vi started to sing the song “You give me as much as pain/ I store it my heart” in Dinajpur when we already started our Cycle riding. Then I tried hardly to remember the song. Sometimes later, I remember the song which I heard my childhood. I asked immediately Mona vi, “Vi Who is the singer of this song?” Mona vi could not remember the singer’s name but he told me the name of the album, “ Aktare Nowa Puran.”
We back to Dhaka after finished our riding. I already forget the name of album. I went to Bashundara city in any work. I again remember the song when I saw a CD shop. I hardly remember the name of the album. I phoned Mona vi to wanted to know the name of the album. Then I bought the Album. On that time I got the name of the singer is ‘Shahjahan Munshi.’
One day, I was going to the side of Aziz market. I heard Shahjahan MunShi’s songs. Then the Shopkeeper told me that is new album of him named ‘Ak jona’ published by ‘Aktara’. I bought this one also. The shopkeeper played…
To know me
how many live in jungle
In my mind I am one…
I don’t know, that street singer of Nakhalpara and this Shahjahan is same or not! But I heard so many songs in my everyday’s path, every singer is so good as their place.
Translated by Surya Begum.