First Bangladeshi female drummer takes stage after 44 years

The first female drummer of Bangladesh, Georgina Huq, performed at TSC on the eve of Victory Day.

She performed in a show with band Spandan just one year after the country’s independence. After a 44 year hiatus, she picked up her drumsticks at a show held at TSC, University of Dhaka where it all began.

Georgina was asked to play with the band Lampost on December 15 night. She played drums on George Harrison’s “Bangladesh” with the band and later sang the Bob Dylan track “Blowin’ in the wind.”

Georgina became acquainted with band music in her teenage years. Her older brothers had formed a band with their friends. It was Sabbir Kadir, the band drummer, whose playing moved Georgina to try her hands at drumming. She would practice in secret with makeshift drums made from home utensils. When her brothers took a break, she would sneak in to use their drum set.

Her latent talent as a drummer could not be suppressed. Her skills were to revel at, and her name became widely known.

After the Liberation War, a band called Spondon was formed in 1972 with the patronage of Sheikh Kamal, the eldest son of Bangabandhu. On December 15, 1972, a concert was arranged at TSC to commemmorate the first anniversary of the Victory Day.

At the age of 16, Georgina Huq emerged as the first female drummer of Bangladesh in the show.

Afterwards, she was unable to continue to perform in Bangladesh and moved abroad. She sporadically performed on requests, but never made it an integral part of her life, despite every technique she knew being as fresh as morning dew in her mind.

Source: dhakatribune