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Published : 14 Sep 2025, 05:13 PM
Dhaka’s skies opened in relentless rain, but mourners gathered undeterred at the Central Shaheed Minar to bid farewell to music legend Farida Parveen. For Rais Uddin, a Lalon devotee, the heavens themselves appeared to grieve the loss of the "songbird".
Farida died on Saturday at Universal Medical College Hospital in the capital’s Mohakhali. She was 71.
A tribute ceremony was scheduled to begin at the Shaheed Minar at 10:30am on Sunday.
But the coffin did not leave her home in Tejkuni Para until 11:15am, when it was placed in a refrigerated truck.
By then, representatives of the arts and cultural communities had gathered, joined by fans who came from across Dhaka.
The tribute began under the supervision of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
Floral wreaths were placed on her coffin on behalf of the Jatiya Kabita Parishad, Satyansen Shilpi Goshthi, Udichi Shilpi Goshthi, Jatiyatabadi Sanskritik Dal, Department of Archaeology, National Museum, Shilpakala Academy, Bangla Academy, National Book Centre, bdnews24.com, and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
Tears welled in the eyes of many admirers as they remembered the artist.
Khadem Ali Arif Akbar, who leads a spiritual organisation called “Tauhider Pathshala”, came from Keraniganj.
He said Farida had represented Bengali spiritual practices on the world stage.
"She devoted her life to spreading the tradition of guru-based teachings and the devotional songs dedicated to the murshid [spiritual guide]," he said, explaining why he came to pay his respects.
Mohammad Azam, director general of the Bangla Academy, called her “a great artist in two fields”.
Speaking to bdnews24.com, he noted her early career in modern music before she turned fully to Lalon songs.
“There is a middle-class sensibility in her singing while performing Lalon songs,” he said.
“It is with this feeling that she reached the hearts of people. As a Lalon artist, she reached such heights among the middle class that there is no comparison. Towards the end, she actually lived her life as a Lalon devotee.”
He continued, “Another special aspect is that an artist can create a different level of culture, but there are not many examples. Farida Parveen is such an example for us. She alone was able to create a genre.”
Researcher Tapan Bagchi said Farida had taken Lalon songs from the Akhrabari and carried them into every Bengali home.
“She never ignored the objections of Akhra artists,” he said.
“Although her singing style was slightly different from the Akhra style, she created versions that were acceptable to the common people.”
Bagchi noted that beyond her Lalon songs, another part of her identity had faded from view.
“We knew her as a great artist of modern music,” he said, recalling that the song ‘Tomra Bhulei Gecho Mallikader Naam’ became popular in her voice. The lyricist, Abu Jafar, her first husband, helped bring her recognition through Rajshahi Betar.
“We remember him too today,” he added.
In 2008, Farida received the Japanese government’s "Fukuoka Asian Culture Award".
Bagchi said the award committee had even used a scientific tool to demonstrate that her voice ranked among the best in the world.
“She was a devotee of a major school of music,” he said.
“She not only sang but also founded a music school. She had a long-term plan to establish a university in the name of Lalon. I don’t know how much that plan will be implemented now. I pay tribute to a talented person like her.”
A LIFE IN LALON'S SONGS
Born on Dec 31, 1954, in Natore, Farida grew up in Kushtia. Her father was a doctor and her mother a homemaker. Raised in a cultural household, she began her journey into music at the age of five. Encouraged by her parents, she trained in classical music with the aim of becoming a Nazrul Sangeet artiste, and was moving steadily along that path.
She made her debut at Rajshahi Betar in 1968 as a Nazrul Sangeet singer, and also performed modern and patriotic songs. In her early years, she largely neglected Lalon’s music. But she later set aside other genres and devoted herself entirely to Lalon, as she recounted in a long interview with bdnews24.com.
About a year after independence, during the Dol Purnima festival at Kushtia's Chheuria, her guru Mokhshed Ali urged her to sing a Lalon song.
“At the time, I dismissed it and said, fine, teach me one song,” she recalled.
Reluctantly, and only to honour her guru, she performed “Shotto Bol Shupothe Chol” (Speak the truth, walk the right path). That performance proved to be the turning point in her artistic life.
She described feeling a “divine resonance” within herself. “I couldn’t find peace. I felt I had to sing more of these songs, I had to learn them. After that my guru taught me one song after another. That was the beginning of my journey with Lalon. It is Lalon Fakir who has presented me to people’s hearts. He made me sing ‘Shotto Bol Shupothe Chol’ that day because he knew he would establish me through these songs.”
Although many called her the “queen” of Lalon’s music, Farida disliked such titles.
“I don’t like that at all. If someone can truly internalise Lalon’s words, they will move ahead. There’s no reason to hand out such names.”
She often lamented that the younger generation was not practising Lalon in its “pure form” and criticised contemporary presentation styles as “inappropriate”. In her view, there was no substitute for practising Lalon’s music with deep inner understanding.
Farida also earned acclaim for several modern and patriotic songs, including “Tomra Bhule Gechho Mallika Dir Naam” and “Ei Padma Ei Meghna”. She also lent her voice to a number of film songs.
Despite battling various illnesses, she remained dedicated to her craft. About 16 years ago, she founded the Achin Pakhi Sangeet Academy in Dhaka’s Tejkunipara to carry Lalon’s tradition to future generations. But her ill health, limited income, and lack of a permanent building left the academy struggling to survive.
Through her performances, Farida not only won fame for herself but also carried Lalon’s music beyond Bangladesh to international stages. For her devotion to the art, she received numerous honours, including the Ekushey Padak in 1987, the National Film Award for best playback singer in 1993, and Japan’s Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize in 2008.
