The Indira Gandhi Culture Centre in Dhaka hosted an evening of Bhawaiya (traditional) songs with Shafiul Alam Raza on Saturday, 23 April, at the centre’s Gulshan branch.

Started at about 6:30pm until next one and half an hour, Raza rendered 16 songs to enthral the jam-packed audience.

He was accompanied by Shahnur Alam Rajon on tabla; Mohammad Sagirul Islam with octopad; Murad Babu on keyboard; Mohammad Mokaddes Ali with dotara; and Md. Saeed Hasan with flute, says a press release.

Shafiul Alam Raza learnt music in his childhood from his parents. He has not got any institutional education in music but owes greatly to his teacher Ustad Nurul Islam Zahid from whom he got theoretical knowledge of music. He is a ‘special grade’ singer at Bangladesh Radio and a ‘first class’ singer at Bangladesh Television. He has given many performances in Tara Music and several other channels of India. He has performed many solo and group performances inside the country and abroad including in India and Sydney.

Raza was awarded the greatest singer of ‘Bhawaiya’ by Bengal Foundation in their ‘search for genius at folk song’ campaign.

An eminent Bhawaiya singer, Raza is popularly known in TV channels and among viewers as ‘Bhawaiya Raza’, ‘Bhawaiya Rajkumar’ and ‘Bhawaiya Feriwala’.

He has released a mixed album from Bengal Foundation and a solo album titled ‘Kabar Dekhiya Jan’ from Violin Media.

Raza formed a band named ‘Bhawaiya’ in 2008. He also set up a ‘Bhawaiya School’ in 2011 in Dhaka where ee imparts free training to the learners for one year without any fee. He did playback in Bangla films ‘Uttorer Sur’ and ‘Adam-Howa’. ‘Uttorer Sur’ was awarded in Bangladesh and abroad.