From Pala Gaan to Hip-Hop: the flamboyant journey of Kuddus Boyati

The long haired Kuddus Boyati is a famous folk singer now, but he came from modest beginnings. 

In 1988, he first appeared in Dhaka's cultural scene. He gave his first 'Pala gaan' performance on 19 November the same year in front of a crowd, at a cultural event held at the Mahila Samity Auditorium in Baily Road. It was a brand new encounter for him.

"I am a villager and I used to sing in the village. The majority of my listeners come from the village. My songs used to be popular throughout Mymensingh."

Boyati was invited to perform at a cultural festival by Ramendu Majumder and Bangla Academy official Saidur Rahman. 

"I had never before seen Dhaka. I was scared and uneasy when I arrived here. But after singing the song live, my perspective changed. People showered me with love. I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone. After the event, I went from Kuddus to Kuddus Boyati," Kuddus reminisced about his first encounter with success.

His career as a 'Pala Kaar' became more prominent as famous author Humayun Ahmed took notice of him. Humayun Ahmed has featured many of Kuddus Boyati's songs in plays and films. He is very appreciative of the author's impact on his musical career. 

"Actually, everyone knows me better because of Humayun sir. People started to take an interest in me as a result of the way he featured my songs and included me in the campaign. Sir will always have my respect. I will always be grateful for what he did," Kuddus added.

Kuddus Boyati made headlines in 1992 when he performed the song 'Ei Din Din Noy' in a Humayun Ahmed-directed awareness film. His most recent hit in Humayun Ahmed's 'Ghetuputra Kamala' was his song 'Amar Jamunar Jal'. In addition to albums, he has performed a large number of songs in dramas, films and documentaries. 

Lately, he had only put out two albums – 'Shonar Nupur' and 'Aam Khayo Jaam Khayo Tetul Khayo Na.'

In recent times he had been unwell but has just recovered, and is now in excellent condition. He is performing frequently again. After a protracted gap, he has been keeping busy in the studio and has started the process of releasing new singles. He plans to release a handful of them too!

Kuddus generally writes his own lyrics and composes his own tunes, although other composers will arrange some of his upcoming singles. He plans to release the tracks after Eid-ul-Fitr. However, he stayed tight-lipped about songs' specifics at this time.

"I am always immersed in music. As long as I am awake, tunes keep on flowing inside my head. Unfortunately I can't always note them down because I never really received education, so sometimes I ask my mates to write them instead. I haven't really released any originals lately. I am taking initiatives to release new songs," said Kuddus.

Kuddus Boyati has also stepped out of his comfort zone to try other avenues in music. In 2016, he performed in Pritam Ahmed's contemporary hip-hop song 'Asho Mama' and was appreciated for his performance in it.

"Pritam, Milu bhai's son, invited me to their home one day. There he proposed to me that I should give voice to Asho Mama. They were skeptical at first, but in a short time I showed them that Kuddus Boyati can do anything. The song was a big hit!" he said.

But even after the success of Asho Mama, he chose to stay with his folk genre and wants to primarily stick to it in the long run.

He founded the 'Kuddus Boyati Foundation' ten years ago in Kendua, Netrakona, his hometown. It initially worked well for a while. However, he was unable to oversee it for a number of years due to his illness.

"I have not come to take, but to give," he said in this context. 

"I once had very little money. I couldn't properly eat or study because of it, but I made the decision to help those who were suffering like me. I built the foundation from that thought," added Kuddus.