Haji Zahir Ahmed

A Noted Songster, Music Director And Lyricist

Haji Zahir Ahmed, a versatile genius in music world, was born on February, 1955 at the village Mukterpur, of Sadar Upazila, Munshigonj, under the district of Munshigonj, Bikrampur. He learnt songs during his boyhood by listening to gramophone. During that time there was no radio in the rural areas.

He was a teacher of his own. He had no academic qualification on music. He is at a time a vocal artiste, music composer and lyricist. As we know that the famous artistes of the Indian sub-continent Hemanta Mukharjee and Kishore Kumar had no academic qualification on music. Zahir Ahmed's father was not fond of music, though he had a gramophone in his residence. He did not like that his son (Zahir) should learn songs. He thought that songs might hamper his education but Zahir used to listen songs in absence of his father from their gramophone and tried to sing songs and tried to copy the tune from renowned artistes Hamanta Mukharjee, Kishore Kumar, Shatinath Mukharjee, Manna Dey and Md. Rafi etc.

He brought name and fame singing songs during his school and college life. He received many prizes for his outstanding performance in music. Before marketing cassettes, he used to sing songs on BTV and Bangladesh Beter. He has become enlisted artiste (vocal artiste) of BTV, Bangladesh Beter and also as music director and lyricist. Zahir Ahmed having a mellifluous voice and psychedelic music wins the hearts of every listeners both at home and abroad.

In a poem Keats said

" Heard melodies are sweet,
but those unheard are sweeter"

These lines are true for Zahir, since he had written many songs which are heard are sweet no doubt but his written songs unheard, I think, are sweeter. He is a publicity shy singer. He gave audition on BTV at DIT (Now Rajuk) on December 1971. In 1972 in February his live programme was broadcast on BTV. He has marketed as many as eight cassettes and CDs. His first cassette Volume No. 1 has gained a tremendous popularity to the music lovers. His volume no. 1 cassette contains as many as twelve modern songs. For example, ("Jodi shob sagarer jal kali hatu") ("Pakheray ureja ekhan thekay bahu doray") ("Tajmahal dakhey mone hoi jeno ajo shey prem eshe katha koy" ). These songs have become so popular that in every nook and corner of the country general public (song lovers) try to buzz these songs for their minds satisfaction. As a play-back singer Zahir Ahmed also sang songs for the films in Bangladesh.

In 1973 he sang songs in the film 'Hera' and in the film 'Driver'. It is to be noted here that Mr. Zahir Ahmed wrote a song and composed music by himself, which was sung by a reputed national artiste Abdul Zabbar of Bangladesh. The song was as follows "Ki gan shonab ogu bondhu". This song was sung by Zabbar in the film 'Sandhi Bechhed'. Mr. Zahir also sang and wrote many gonosangeet which have become very popular .