Ferdous Ara is a Bangladeshi

Nazrul Sangeet Nazrul Sangeet (), also Nazrul Geeti (; ), refers to the songs written and composed by Kazi Nazrul Islam, who is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul Geeti incorporate revolutionary notions as well as more spiritual, philosophical and roman ...

singer and winner of the

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak () is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of martyrs of the Bengali language movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contributions in a number of fields, including culture, education, and e ...

, the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh.

Early life and education

Ara, nicknamed Marine, was born in

Brahmanbaria District Brahmanbaria District () is a district in eastern Bangladesh located in the Chittagong Division. Geographically, it is mostly farmland and is topographically part of the Gangetic Plain. It is bounded by the districts of Kishoreganj District, Kish ...

to A.H.M. Abdul Hai, a classical singer of the early 1950s, and Mosharrefa Begum. She has three sisters, Jannat Ara, Nur-e-Jannat and Hur-e-Jannat. She completed her bachelor's and master's in History from the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

Career

In 1973, Ara started her career as a regular vocal artist in Bangladesh Radio and afterward in

Bangladesh Television Bangladesh Television (), commonly known by its acronym BTV (), is the state-owned television network of Bangladesh. The network was originally established as the East Pakistan branch of Pakistan Television Corporation, Pakistan Television in 1 ...

. She has released numerous albums of Nazrul Sangeet, contemporary and patriotic songs. In 1985, her first album was released by SARGAM. She became the first person in Bangladesh whose music video of Nazrul Sangeet was released. Ara teaches Nazrul songs at the

Nazrul Institute The Jatiya Kabi Nazrul Institute is Bangladesh's national institute, established in February 1985. Its headquarters are located in Kabi Bhaban in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It fulfills a number of roles; promoting the literary work of the p ...

and Dhaka Music College. She founded a music school, ''Sur Saptak'' in 2000. She contributed as a background vocal in films, documentaries, and drama. She sang in a movie titled Meher Nigar by

Impress Telefilm Impress Telefilm Limited is a media production house in Bangladesh, formed in 2003. The company produces film, drama, and drama serials, music videos, variety shows, magazine programmes, musical programmes, and documentaries as well as TV commerc ...

. Ara sang at the Gala Concert at

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

, London on an invitation of

Inner London Education Authority The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was the local education authority for the City of London and the 12 Inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. From 1965 to 1986 it was an ad hoc committee of the Greater London Co ...

in 1986. She also performed in

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (; ) or simply known as Shilpakala Academy is the principal state-sponsored national cultural centre of Bangladesh. It is a academy of fine and performing arts. History It is the national academy of fine and pe ...

. Ara authored the books ''Sangeet Bhubaney Nazrul'' (Nazrul in Music World) and ''Sanchitar Katha Barta'' (Conversation of Sanchita). She also hosts ''Sanchita'' on

Channel i Channel i () is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language satellite and cable television channel owned by Impress Group. It was launched on 1 October 1999, as Bangladesh's first digital television channel. It is one of the oldest satellite television chan ...

and ''Ei Shomoy'' on

nTV NTV may refer to: Television * NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh * NTV (India), Telugu regional channel * NTV (Kenya) * NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia * NTV (Newport Televisio ...

, both are television programs about

Nazrul Kazi Nazrul Islam (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengali poet, short story writer, journalist, lyricist and musician. He is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul produced a large body of poetry, music, messages, novels, and stories ...

Albums

* First tape with 12 Nazrul songs, Sargam (1985) * Long play and tape,

(1986) (Nazrul geeti) * ''Shaon-A-Rathe'',

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

(Nazrul geeti) (1999) * ''Tumi Ashley Jey Ki Bhalo Lagey'',

Saregama Saregama India Ltd is an Indian music record label and content company headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is the oldest music label in India, established in 1901 as the Indian branch of the British Gramophone Company. It later became ...

(Nazrul and Modern songs mixed album) * ''Tumi Ki Dokhina Pobon'',

(2005)

Personal life

Ara is married to Rafiqul Mohammed, a government officer(retired 2018). Together they have a son, Faisal Mohammed who was designated as one of the first Bangladeshi Sexton Scholar in the field of Electrical Engineering from Dalhousie University, Canada (2016/2017) and a daughter, Fahmi Ferdous.

Awards

* Bachsas Award * TRAB Award * Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin Gold Medal * Channel I Lifetime Achievement Award *

Nazrul Award The Jatiya Kabi Nazrul Institute is Bangladesh's national institute, established in February 1985. Its headquarters are located in Kabi Bhaban in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It fulfills a number of roles; promoting the literary work of the p ...

(2017) * Channel i Music Lifetime Achievement Awards 2024

References

External links

* * Living people People from Brahmanbaria district Bengali musicians 21st-century Bangladeshi women singers 21st-century Bangladeshi singers Bangladeshi film score composers University of Dhaka alumni Academic staff of the University of Dhaka Bangladeshi Nazrul Geeti singers Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century Bangladeshi women singers 20th-century Bangladeshi singers Recipients of the Ekushey Padak in 2025 {{Bangladesh-singer-stub