Viggo Olsen

Special Content

Mr. Music

DURING APRIL-MAY, 1972, while the Bangladesh Brigade was rebuilding villages, a parallel and interweaving drama unfolded. Shomar Dass, a central figure in the drama, was the director of music for Bangladesh government radio and television. Although I had never met him, I knew him by reputation as "Mr. Music" of Bangladesh. He had written the music to many of the patriotic songs which lifted the spirits and voices of millions of Bengalis during those dark days of massacre and oppression. Shomar Dass and his songs were a living legend in Bangladesh. To him was given the responsibility of writing the full orchestration of the country's national anthem, "My Golden Bengal." Not only did he write music, but as a skilled performer, he also sang beautifully and played an instrument called the harmonium. He was, perhaps, the most highly placed nominal Christian in Bangladesh.