Profile - Anusheh

Anusheh

General Information

Singer, Activist, Designer

Musician, Artist, Cultural Activist and Social Entrepreneur

Full Name: Anusheh Anadil

Date of Birth: March 26, 1977

Place of Birth: Bangladesh

Home District: Dhaka

Nationality: Bangladeshi

Profile:

Anusheh Anadil (born 26 March 1977) is a Bangladeshi musician, artist, cultural activist, social entrepreneur and most importantly a dreamer. When it comes to ups and downs in life, she has seen it all. At her peak, she cemented a place in the Bangladeshi audience's heart with powerful and earthly brand of folk music. Her journey through stardom has not been without her fair share of disruptions in her personal life and despite that, this iron willed lady has managed to weather the entire storm that came by her life to start a new chapter.

Anusheh was born in Dhaka to Jamal Ahmed Sufi, an entrepreneur and Lubna Marium, a dancer and cultural activist. Her maternal grandfather Lieutenant Colonel Quazi Nuruzzaman, Bir Uttam, was a Bangladeshi war hero and secular nationalist, who served as a Sector Commander of the Mukti Bahini, in Sector 7, during the Bangladesh Liberation War. As a child, Anusheh was trained in North Indian classical music. Through her encounters with the Bauls and Fakirs of Bengal, she found freedom in the philosophy and music they presented. She began performing with the band Bangla in 1998. Shayan Chowdhury Arnob, who is immensely popular for his solo career, was also another member of Bangla band. Anusheh and Arnob knew each other since childhood because their parents were family friends. The band started in Santiniketan when Anusheh and Buno (another member of Bangla) were visiting Arnob, while he was doing his bachelors in Kalabhavan.

The band 'Bangla' was the first female lead band from Bangladesh that became iconically popular in both Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, for their first album Kingkortobbobimuro (2002). Their rendition of spiritual folk songs, along with their own original songs, became a revolution for bringing the sounds of the village bard into popular culture. They helped popularize the philosophy of Fakir Lalon Shai, as a breath of fresh air, to the urban youth. Bangla's second album Prottutponnomotitto (2005) is a tribute to Fakir Lalon Shai. The album questions religious extremism and corrupt politics by using songs of the insightful mystic. The band 'Bangla' inspired many young musicians from both sides of Bengal to rediscover their roots.

Anusheh is also a song writer. She released her solo album Rai in 2012. Songs like 'Ekhon Bodhoy Phul Choranor Pala', 'Amar Moner Manush', 'Tuito Mojar Manush' and 'Dhormo Bujhe Manre Shokha' are some of the popular songs penned and composed by her. Anusheh's rendition of 'Tomar Ghorey Boshot Korey Koyjona', written by Zahid Ahmed, became one of the most popular songs of both Bengals. She was also the first musician in Bangladesh to speak openly about her history with drug abuse and how changing her lifestyle and reconnecting to her roots helped her transcend her addiction.

Anusheh is naturally creative and runs her own Crafts Shop called, ‘JATRA – A Journey into Craft’ in Dhaka which is an extremely popular haunt of the young and trendy looking for craft and casual wear made by local artisans with Bangladeshi material, believing in ‘being Bangladeshi, and buying Bangladeshi products’. Jatra's extension Jatra Biroti is a vegetarian/organic restaurant that promotes mindful living. It is also a space for local musicians and artists to showcase their unique and authentic talents. Jatra Biroti also promotes folk music. The album BHAAB of Baul Shofi Mandal, MA of Kangalini Sufia and ASHOR of Lokman Fakir was recorded and released under its banner. Anusheh has worked with musicians like Rob Fakir, Shofi Mandal, Sam Mills, Paban Das Baul, Susheela Raman, Pandit Tanmoy Bose, Debajyatri Mistra, Indrajeet Dasgupta, Surojit Chatterjee (Bhoomi), Kangalini Sufia, Joler Gaan, Joy Sarkar, Momtaz and the band Indian Ocean. She has sung for movies like Shekhar Das's Kaler Rakhal, Tareq Masud's Ontor Jatra, Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy's Ichche, Q's Tasher Desh, Enamul Karim Nirjhar's Aha and also sang the title song of the popular TV series 'Subarnalata'. Anusheh was invited to speak about her work at TEDex Dhaka in the year 2012.

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