From “Today’s Child” to “Awakened City”: Jungi’s Seven-Decade Journey

On a cool Friday evening in Dhanmondi, the space outside Russian House slowly transformed into a living archive of Bangladesh’s modern musical history. By sunset, familiar faces from different eras of the country’s music scene gathered—Nakib Khan, Samina Chowdhury, Rafiqul Alam, Kabir Bakul, Mehrin, alongside younger voices of the new generation. What began as a book launch soon evolved into an intimate cultural reunion, filled with songs, memories, laughter, and quiet reverence.

The occasion marked the 70th birthday of lyricist Shahid Mahmud Jungi and the unveiling of a commemorative volume titled “Apan Aloy Shahid Mahmud Jungi: Gane Gane Sattor”. Organised by Ajab Karkhana, the event moved far beyond a formal literary programme. It became a vibrant evening of adda, music, storytelling, and collective remembrance—an homage not only to a man, but to an era of Bangladeshi songwriting.

The programme opened symbolically at 6:15 pm with children from Learn Guitar with Asad performing Jungi’s iconic song “Aj Je Shishu”. Their hesitant voices and trembling guitars stirred a deep emotional response among the audience. Many seemed transported back to the streets, stations, footpaths, and winter nights that once inspired the lyricist’s socially conscious words.

The first segment concluded with Souls’ timeless “Ekdin Ghum Bhanga Shohore”, effectively framing the arc of Bangladesh’s band music—from protest and social awareness to urban melancholy and existential reflection.

As the book was unveiled, editor Joy Shahriar invited an array of artists and collaborators to the stage. What followed was not a sequence of speeches, but a tapestry of personal memories. Veteran singer Rafiqul Alam spoke of a lifelong desire to sing Jungi’s lyrics, fulfilled only recently, calling it the moment his musical journey felt complete. Samina Chowdhury highlighted the importance of recognising those who work behind the scenes—lyricists, composers, musicians—whose names are often known but faces remain unseen.

The musical segment that followed felt less like a concert and more like a biographical performance. Songs such as “Tritiyo Bishwa Emoni Bismoy”, “Harano Bikel-er Golpo Boli”, “He Bangladesh Tomar Boyosh”, and “Shomoy Jeno Kate Na” were performed by artists including Nasim Ali Khan, Pantha Kanai, Suman Kalyan, Kishore Das, and members of Renaissance. Between songs, stories emerged—why a line was written, what moment inspired a verse—drawing the audience closer with each revelation.

The book itself reflects this multiplicity. Edited by Joy Shahriar, with co-editors Nishith Surjo and Shahriar Adnan, it features reflections by musicians, family members, researchers, and journalists. Contributors include Nakib Khan, Kumar Bishwajit, Pilu Khan, Partha Barua, Fuad Naser Babu, among many others. Dedicated to the fighters of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, the book mirrors Jungi’s lifelong intertwining of music, politics, and cultural resistance.

Born in Chattogram on 1 August 1956, Jungi’s life has defied linear definition—teacher, organiser, café founder, cultural activist, and lyricist. Though he wrote comparatively fewer songs, each carries remarkable weight. His lyrics speak not only of love and loss, but of class, time, urban isolation, resistance, and fragile hope.

As the evening drew to a close, it became clear that this was more than a birthday celebration. It was a collective salute to a man who shaped Bangladesh’s modern music not from the spotlight, but from the spaces behind it—where songs are born, friendships are forged, and culture quietly takes form.

Key Highlights at a Glance