Youthsparks caught up with Zia bhai from Shironamhin on their album signing day on the 23rd
Incursion Headquarters.
This is what he has to say….
The Form/ the Sketch:
Shironamhin interview was accidental .Exactly Shironamhin was accidental too, it was never pre-planned, neither did it had the ambition for the glory
of fame and fortune like pretty much all the other bands in BD especially the new ones. We weren’t
searching for glory, it found us! Shironamhin’s birth, its genesis was out of the tea cup clattering, rain
drops falling to the brick laden floor, and guitar strummings on the open air of the “addas” we used to
have back in 96 with our friends, We had it in us, it was something but we didn’t know its name…it was
hence…Untitled
At first there was Bulbul bhai, Jewel bhai, and I.
Mohin joined in as the vocalist but left and Tuhin bhai was there to take his place and he’s been here
ever since.
We had written altogether of 50 songs most of which was written by me, out of the 50 the best 11 were
selected as well as an instrumental song and hence we released our debut album “Jahaji” in 2004.
Style/ the Blueprint:
Our style is something that came to us predominantly out of our spirits, It’s unique because each of us
have our own style and characteristics when it comes to music and we let that grow and develop, we
don’t care about the outcome but just let our talents take a hold of us and express itself, hence the
“naturalistic” feel to our music. Me being an Architect myself can’t help but let my lyrics develop in an
urban textural ambiance, that’s how I visualize it, whereas Tuhin is gifted with the more naturalistic feel
and meanings to his songs.
Influences:
On our last album that we made as a tribute to Rabindranath’s songs, we had performed a diverse array
of about 36 different types of instruments, all of which we had to learn by ourselves to play. We had
tried to do the same for this album; there is a unique blend of different layers of musical notes from a
variation of instruments overlaid over one another to create a pattern, a texture that weaves around
our lyrics to form a song. For instance I had to learn playing a Cello for this album and I also played
Sarod, which is most notably used in “Hashimukh” and more recently “Abar Hashimukh”. Then there
was the flute in “Bondho Janala”. The reason we go this far in pursuit for excellence is because we all are
perfectionists. We don’t just take music as a part of life, it is our life! It is our dream; it is the fire in our
soul, it is what gives the “title” to our “untitled” selves.
Art is art. It’s not so much to label something as art, a true art form is a living thing, it lives on…and it
is kept alive by appreciation of others… Hence our real sponsors are our fans, our audiences…they are
what keeps Shironamhin and its music alive. They inspire us to radiate our passion…
Reflections:
I remember a long time ago… I mailed a letter to Sepultura out of my appreciation for them. Not email
no… a post mail. He wrote back to me again and was amused that in the furthest corner of the world
they had a fan who appreciated their music…
It is so much easier now… communication, connection is one click away now. Our albums and our music
are now also available in iTunes and Amazon so anyone from any corner of the world can listen to us…
This album signing event makes me happy that all these different unknown faces are somehow inspired
and influenced by us, that we are now a part of their lives.
Conclusion:
Believe in yourself, know what you believe in and pursue that, pursue your passion. Selling out your
dreams to the materialistic bullshit won’t take you far… Be yourself.
