I cried my heart out by Dhanmondi Lake: Tasrif Khan

Singer Tasrif Khan is quite famous on social media. However, this young artiste didn’t get a smooth start to his career. He had to endure negative comments from many and was ignored too. This lead vocal of the musical band named ‘Kureghor’ endured all of that quietly at that time.

This singer had experienced three such unexpected incidents right at the beginning of his career that sometimes it made him cry or sometimes pensive. But later he took inspiration from those incidents and turned into today’s Tasrif Khan to his fans.

Back in 2016, Tasrif was admitted to a private university. He used to spend most of his time in music. Suddenly, he had an opportunity to sing at an event of the university. Several other bands were to perform at that event. Tasrif was quite happy to hear the news. He had gone straight to New Market to do some shopping.

After he was done with the shopping, he did the rehearsal taking a long time. He was supposed to perform in the afternoon and he reached there accordingly. But, he couldn’t perform that day because of other bands. The organisers told him that he would get the chance to perform a little bit later.

Recalling that memory from seven years ago Tasrif said, “I was really sad that day. I had waited for a long time. Many of my classmates were there and they were repeatedly asking us when we will perform. We told them ‘It will be late. But we will sing.’ We had asked them all to wait.

“Later, when we climbed onto the stage the organisers said, ‘There will be a DJ party now so you guys get off the stage. There won’t be any more songs now. You guys haven’t become such big stars yet that it’s mandatory for you to perform.’ We were somewhat insulted and driven out of the stage. The day was awfully upsetting for me. I had felt terribly sad. I still cannot forget that day,” he added.

Tasrif cannot forget these incidents from the beginning of his career even if he wants to. Two more incidents like this always remind him that he has to go even further and to do even better.  

At that time, he was working to form a band professionally and had already formed the band, ‘Kureghor’. They had gone to visit Rabindra Sarobar and found that there was a musical event going on to the aid of cold-stricken people.

Tasrif had nervously taken a seat beside those who were singing that day. He kept chorusing together with them. At one point those singers had taken a break. Meanwhile, Tasrif performed a song with their permission. The song was titled, ‘Shat Rajar Dhon…’

Sharing that incident Tasrif has written, “I was singing that song keeping my eyes closed. When I opened my eyes, I found many people gathered in front me listening to the song. Later, when I was about to perform another song, a string of my guitar snapped. I had gone to those who were playing guitar on the side and requested them to lend me their guitar.

"But, the person who owned the guitar suddenly said, 'It’s a highly expensive guitar and you are not capable yet to touch it'. Hearing such insulting words, I was completely heartbroken that day. After that incident I had cried my heart out sitting by the Dhanmondi Lake," he added.

These incidents have repeatedly inspired him to move forward in his career. He gained strength from them to pursue music. They fueled him to take himself to such a position that the audience like his songs. The idea that he has to prove himself with his songs never left his mind. And because of that he never let any of these insult bother him.

There was another incident where the singer was not at all prepared for what followed. He had always heard that creative people are usually soft-hearted. Such a person insulted Tasrif that this singer became sad to even talk about it.

Tasrif had been writing songs himself for three years. He had almost zero idea about how to record those songs. He didn’t know how to do the music or how to give vocal. Tasrif had a wish to record a song. He collected the cellphone number of a famed composer and told him everything.

Hearing him out, that music composer asked for Tk 40,000. Back at that time, it was a mountainous amount of money for Tasrif. He could have arranged highest Tk 10,000 from his family and from selling his guitar. Offering that money he asked the composer to make the song with limited arrangements. Hearing the response, Tasrif had gone speechless that day.

This singer said, “He (composer) rudely said to me, ‘It takes Tk 20,000 even to set a foot in my studio’. When he insulted me I thought to myself how much longer do I have to be insulted. We will make songs on our own. Then I opened a YouTube account with the name Tasrif Khan. Later I changed that to Kueghor’s name.

"There are millions of views on that channel now. The audience are listening to the songs and liking them as well. We are regularly performing our songs in concerts at home and abroad. But these three incidents from before I had started my career had affected me a lot. They gave me courage afterwards. I will never forget them," he added.