The fusion of bangla folk and western music is quite popular these days. Many young artists have created musical magic by blending home ground notes with different world music genres. One such Bangladeshi band Bunokriti is making waves. They are not your run-of-the-mill ‘Bangla band’. The sound of their music is going places. The band describes its sound as Classical Fusion & Versatile. Bunokriti believes in experimenting with different types of genre and trying to make good music with good composition. Bunokriti means The Credit of Creation. Music is a part of creativity and they are here to show their attempt and creativity.
“We mostly sing old bangla songs and folk songs in our style giving them an unique modern touch. We also perform a number of traditional songs which we have rearranged. The songs are really melodious. We keep the flavour of these songs intact and at the same time give them a modern touch.” says Raju, drummer and founder member of Bunokriti.
For Nusrat Jahan Kriti, talented vocalist of the band, the theory is simple- “We are entertainers; we want people to have a good time”. Her dad has been her inspiration and a big fan of Lata Mangeshkar. She believes that more and more female musicians are carving a niche for themselves in Bangladesh. Nusrat says “We call ourselves a versatile band. We are very creative in our approach to each and every song we perform. As our name Bunokriti suggests we try to weave a new form of dream for our audience through our version of the old songs. Interestingly when I sing old songs most of them feel its our own composition. When I tell them that they are old songs form the 60s/70s they get inspired.”
“We keep experimenting even when we perform live. Actually our music keeps evolving with time and the choice and demand of listeners. I believe music should be promiscuous and should transcend all sorts of man-made boundaries .We are reaching out to the listeners worldwide and is not just limited to Bangladesh.” adds Raju. Shanto, the percussionist of the band says “our sound mesmerise the mind, captivate the heart and uplift the soul.”
Band Members
Dmr Raju Jami (Drummer & Manager)
Nusrat Jahan Kriti (Vocal)
Saif Sohan (Keyboardist Music Arrangement) Shawon Rahman (Rhythm Guitarist & Back vocal)
Nawaj( Bassist)
Tamim Rifat (Lead Guitarist)
Shanto(Percussion)
Though they have faced criticism initially. “Some people thought we were trying to be disrespectful with our “experimentation,” which was very far from the truth. They didn’t understand the concept of classical fusion. But our songs have been loved by the audience. Most of our songs have got loads of likes and sharing on social media. Our Official Trailer Song Akash Meghe Dhaka have been a huge hit.”
According to him the members of the band are like a family. They often spend time together-hanging out or shopping or travelling. But while doing music they have a strict professional approach.
Talking about their favorite show till date, Raju says “It was definitely our show at the Ntv old school beats. It was a huge hit. We were flooded with messages and live-in phone calls. Finally the authorities had to stop taking any messages or calls.”
While Nusrat’s memorable moment is quite interesting! Nusrat explains “I joined the band few years ago. After one year or so I had an argument and decided to leave the band. The band members came to my home. I didn’t receive their phone calls initially. After several calls I received their call. They requested me to come to balcony. When I went to the balcony I found them standing downstairs and requesting me to join the band. I found it very sweet. So I joined the band.”
Talking about the present music scenario in Bangladesh, Raju says “Bangladeshi bands are a lot more ahead of Kolkata musically, since they’ve been into this for a longer time. The music scenario in our country is constantly evolving. But for most bands sustaining by making original music only is an uphill task. Even in the age of the internet, where musicians can put up their work online for public viewing, things are not so smooth. The film industry is where the greater chunk of the business is, and hence the greater parts of the funds are invested in movies. Though in the long run only the truly talented bands will survive and others will be filtered out.”Nusrat adds, “The Bangladeshi music scene is very lively and we have brilliant musicians.”
Her word of advice for aspiring musicians- “Be passionate about your music. Learn the kind of music of you like to perform. Music is such an ocean of ideas and philosophies that you have to go towards and chase. It will never come to you easy. “
Bunokriti has been travelling extensively, doing concerts and corporate shows and have performed in Kolkata. They believe more concerts should be organized where artists from both India and Bangladesh get to perform which would promote greater harmony, understanding and brotherhood between the two nations.
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