By Pratibha Sinha, Guwahati
It is always a moment of excitement when we come across a person from a foreign country and get the opportunity to know the individual and share feelings and information about the Country. The meeting becomes more pleasurable and memorable when the person happens to be of same community and religion, follows same culture and traditions.
On November 13, 2009, I got a chance to meet Meera Sinha, a talented singer from our neighbourhood country Bangladesh. She had come to Guwahati for recording some Bhajans in Bishnupriya Manipuri. I went to meet her at her residence in Christian basti and accompanied her to the recording studio at Kalakshetra in Guwahati. On the way to the studio, we had a long conversation. I expressed my curiosity to know about her in detail and about the country Bangladesh, particularly, the Bishnupriya Manipuri people living there.
She was extremely happy to share her experiences, interests, and information about her singing career and the Bishnupriya Manipuris residing at different parts of Bangladesh. Meera Sinha sings songs of Rabindra Nath Tagore, Kavi Nazrul geet, Patriotic songs, Devotional songs, Bishnupriya Manipuri folk songs, Hindi songs etc. Since many years, she has been presenting her singing performances on many devotional programmes, national programmes and cultural programmes organised in different places of Bangladesh, TV channels, and Radio centre.
Meera’s family has been living in Bangladesh for many decades. Meera was born and brought up in Uttargaon Bhanubil (Kamalganj) under the district of Moulvi Bazar in Sylhet (division) of Bangladesh. She was born on January 1,1972 to Kuleshwar Sinha (father) and Binodini Sinha (mother). Eldest of four children, Meera has two younger sisters and one younger brother.
Meera, a BA graduate from Moulvi Bazar Government College of Sylhet, is an Account Assistant by profession, in Judge Court, Moulvi Bazar (Sylhet division). She resides at Shayarpur School Road, Moulvi Bazar of Sylhet.with her husband Rabindra Kumar Sinha, and her two children, 12-year-old son Rohit and 8-year-old daughter Hritu. Her husband is employed in a private firm at Dhaka.
She is an approved Folk Singing artist in Bangladesh TV (BTv), Dhaka (Rampura) from 2007 and an approved Radio singer of Nazrul Geeti in Bangladesh Radio, Sylhet from 2006. She is also a vocal artist in a London-based TV channel ‘S’ channel from 2004. Many of her singing performances were also broadcasted in the ETv, Bangladesh. Meera had released one of her video song album “Pratham Prem Keno Bhula Jai Na” in Bengali in 2007. The album contains 11 songs consisting of romantic songs and a patriotic song (dedicated to her motherland Bangladesh). The CD was produced by MG Music Gallery of Dhaka. Suman Reja Khan was the lyricist and Dhirajit Sinha was the composer. The producer of the VCD is R.K. Singha. Artists perfomed in the VCD album are Jugeshwar Chatterjee, Sachin, Reena, Rohit, Premi, Bijon, Vani, Rony, Swapna, Jhoni and Shanti.
She is an approved Folk Singing artist in Bangladesh TV (BTv), Dhaka (Rampura) from 2007 and an approved Radio singer of Nazrul Geeti in Bangladesh Radio, Sylhet from 2006. She is also a vocal artist in a London-based TV channel ‘S’ channel from 2004. Many of her singing performances were also broadcasted in the ETv, Bangladesh. Meera had released one of her video song album “Pratham Prem Keno Bhula Jai Na” in Bengali in 2007. The album contains 11 songs consisting of romantic songs and a patriotic song (dedicated to her motherland Bangladesh). The CD was produced by MG Music Gallery of Dhaka. Suman Reja Khan was the lyricist and Dhirajit Sinha was the composer. The producer of the VCD is R.K. Singha. Artists perfomed in the VCD album are Jugeshwar Chatterjee, Sachin, Reena, Rohit, Premi, Bijon, Vani, Rony, Swapna, Jhoni and Shanti.
Meera has started singing at the early age of eight. She liked to sing on her own by listening songs of Lata Mageskar, Asha Bhosle, Kishor Kumar, Sabina Yasmin, Runa Laila, Subra Deb, Tapan Chowdhury and many other great singers.Though Meera had not got any formal training in vocal music but she was guided by her Music teachers Ms Chaya Roy, Jayanta Kr. Deb, Samir Sana (Classical Singer from Kolkata). She is presently undergoing vocal classical from Jela Shilpakala Academy of Moulvi Bazar.
In her childhood, Meera had been inspired by many people. When she was a student of class 8th, she was inspired and taught by her school Music teacher Baby Sutradhar to play harmonium and sing songs. Singer Dirojit Sinha and Bijon Sinha, her guardians J.K.Sinha and Basanti Sinha, all supported her as mentor. She also received training and guidance on vocal classical from Sushanta Sinha (Bhajan and Ghazal Singer). Meera was constantly encouraged and supported by her husband and in-laws to develop her singing talent, and allow her for stage performances. Her most of the performances are on-stage in various programmes held on different occasions.
On asking her to tell something about Bishnupriya Manipuri people of Bangladesh, she told that Bishnupriya Manipuris in Bangladesh are very well settled and established in Bangladesh. They are availing all normal facilities as other permanent residents of Bangladesh. There are some villages and areas where Bishnupriya Manipuris are residing in large numbers. Sarapathari, Japorgang, Simutola, Shibgaon, Main Madhavpur, Jaap, Tilakpur, Guramora, Bhanubil, Kiramoti, Masimpur (in Sylhet), Parua, Banugas, Bisgaon, Baligaon, Ghanashyampur, Chaishree, Kechupara, Assampara, Sripur are some of those villages. Bishnupriya Manipuris residing there are accustomed with Bishnupriya Manipuri traditions and customs, and freely celebrate them. They get cooperation in all respect from other community residents of Bangladesh.
Meera has many relatives in different parts of India. They are residing in Tripura, Assam, and Meghalaya. She always wished to visit different places of India and her relatives residing in India. Her wish fulfilled when she got an invitation to perform in the four-day Raas Purnima Festival (30-10-09 to 02-11-09) held at Kamalpur under Dhalai district of Tripura organised by Bishnupriya Manipuri community and sponsored by Tripura Government. This was her first performance outside her motherland. Ms Bijoy Lakhi, ex-Industry and Commerce and OBC Welfare Minister of Tripura, had invited her. She presented devotional and other folk songs in Bishnupriya Manipuri and Bengali in the festival and received applause from all the audiences present on the occassion. On her tour to India, besides attending the programme, she also got the opportunity at the same to meet her relatives residing here.
She had stayed in Guwahati for a week and recorded some Bhajans in Bishnupriya Manipuri language composed by Sushanta Sinha. She recorded the songs under the direction and guidance of Sushanta Sinha and Asutosh Sinha. The album will be produced by Chandrakanti Sinha from Dullabcherra.
We hope to get chance to listen to her Bhajans very shortly and wish her success in her life.
Video clips from the album:
1. “Pratham Prem Keno Bhula Jai Na” (Title song of the album) along with other video clips from the album
Patriotic Song dedicating to the land of Bangladesh in VCD album.
Contact addresses to get the copy of the VCD “Pratham Prem Keno Bhula Jai Na” are:
1. Shri R K Singha (Producer), 147/1, Araambagh, Dhaka
Contact No: 01712604330 (add the ISD Code of Bangladesh)
2. MG Music Gallery 30 Patuwatuli, Salam Mansion, Dhaka-1100
Contact No: 01711124632 (add the ISD Code of Bangladesh)
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