Lalon legend Farida Parveen fights for life in ICU
Renowned Lalon singer and Ekushey Padak awardee Farida Parveen, 69, is battling multi-organ failure at Universal Medical College Hospital in Dhaka, and the nation is holding its breath.
Admitted on September 2 for routine dialysis, the legendary voice behind timeless bhatiali and Lalon geeti took a devastating turn. By Tuesday, she was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as her condition rapidly deteriorated. On Wednesday, she was placed on life support.
“Her kidneys have completely stopped functioning,” said Dr Ashis Kumar Chakraborty, Managing Director of the hospital, in a somber update. “She’s suffering from multi-organ failure. But we’re not giving up. A medical board has been formed, and our top physicians are doing everything possible to stabilise her.”
There was a glimmer of hope: her blood pressure showed slight improvement on Wednesday compared to the previous day, when it had plummeted to a dangerously low level. Still, her situation remains critical.
Parveen, who has long battled kidney complications and required dialysis twice a week, has now been admitted to the ICU four times in the past six months, a painful testament to the toll years of relentless performances, travel, and health struggles have taken on her body.
But even as machines hum around her, the echoes of her voice raw, divine, and deeply human continue to ripple across homes, radios, and hearts.
In a heartfelt Facebook post, her son, Imam Zafar Numanee, pleaded with the public to stop spreading misinformation and, more painfully, refrain from launching donation campaigns in her name.
“The treatment is being managed by the country’s best doctors, with full cooperation from authorities,” he wrote. “We do not need financial help. We only ask for your prayers.”
His words carried both dignity and quiet anguish. “My mother gave her life to music, to truth, to Lalon’s message of unity. Now, all we can do is stand by her side and hope.”
Her daughter-in-law, also a doctor, is reportedly by her bedside around the clock, coordinating care while family members keep vigil.
Born on December 31, 1954, Farida Parveen began singing at Rajshahi Betar in 1968, captivating listeners with Nazrul Sangeet. Her rise was steady, but it was her deep dive into the mystic poetry of Lalon Shah under the guidance of maestro Moksed Ali Shah that transformed her into a legend.
By 1973, her patriotic songs during Bangladesh’s liberation era had already etched her into the national consciousness. Over the decades, she became synonymous with spiritual resistance, simplicity, and the unbreakable thread between music and humanity.
In 1987, she received the Ekushey Padak, the second highest civilian honors. But perhaps her greatest legacy is Achin Pakhi School, the institute she founded to teach Lalon’s philosophy and songs to younger generations.
“She didn’t just sing about love and equality,” said cultural activist Tania Rahman. “She lived it. And now, we’re praying that the universe returns that love to her.”
As social media fills with tributes clips of her haunting renditions of "Mon Kemon Kore," "Jhoom Jhoom Dharare," and "Ami Kothay Pabo Tare" the reality sinks in: Bangladesh may be losing not just a singer, but a spiritual anchor.