Abdul Ahad (18 January 1918 – 14 May 1996) was a Bangladeshi composer, music director and singer. He was the recipient of Independence Day Award in 1978. The Government of Pakistan awarded him Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 1962 and Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 1969 for his contribution to music. Early life Ahad was born in Rajshahi in the then Bengal Presidency. He took lessons from Ustad Bali and Ustad Manju Sahib. He took part in the All-Bengal Music Competition in 1936 and stood first in the Thumri and Ghazal section. In 1938, he won a scholarship from Shantiniketan as the first Bengali Muslim student. In Santiniketan, he sang the song Diner Por Din Je Gelo and was beloved by Rabindranath Tagore. Career After spending four years at Santiniketan, he joined Master's Voice in Calcutta in 1941 as a music teacher. Artistes including Pankaj Mullick and Hemanta Mukherjee recorded Tagore songs under his direction. In 1941, Ahad joined HMV Calcutta and gradually became a music director for the recording industry as well as the film industry. He got success as a music director in feature films such as Duhkhe Jader Jiban Gada, Asiya (1960), Nabarun and Dur Hyay Sukh Ka Gaon. After the 1947 Partition of India, Ahad joined Radio Pakistan and became a key person in the musical arena of Dhaka. He introduced many new talents to the music world, composed numerous songs and wrote several books on Bengali music. Some of his compositions include: Ami shagorer o neel Amar desher matir gondhey Onek brishti jhorey tumi eley Bhramarer pakhna jotodur jak na References Further reading 1918 births 1996 deaths People from Rajshahi District Bangladeshi male musicians Bangladeshi music directors Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Recipients of the Independence Day Award Honorary Fellows of Bangla Academy 20th-century male musicians Pakistani musicians