For Shafkat Ahmed Dipto, music is more a part of nature than a mere profession. Surrounded in an environment of music from childhood and it being his only choice of career, music is more of a love affair than a mere whim. The jolly and friendly marketing manager of Bengal Music Company took the industry by storm through his career, characterised by his implementation of varied music patterns. Recently, his achievement of being selected the best singer in the Meril-Prothom Alo Award 2008 shook the industry. Being nominated along with singers like Arnob and Bappa Mojumder his worth was already approved and receiving the award sealed it beyond doubt.

This talented artist marks music as a source of food for his mind. 'Music has always been a source of awe for me. The way music can change lives, thoughts and beliefs is simply overwhelming. Music, along with lyrics can change the mood, the feel of anything. And the fact that music is so vast that learning and application is a never ending process. To create a new feel, an entirely personal feel, is very captivating and rewarding. And that is what drives me towards music', says Dipto. 'My aim is to divert people from the seven sins. Look at the current world affairs, human beings are becoming inhuman. And if I can divert them even while they are listening to my songs, that would be a start of my music achieving its goal.'

The new feel of Dipto, is entirely his own. With his own contribution in the form of creation or strict supervision while others are working over the music and lyrics, the project of Dipto called 'Akta Shorol Onko', his solo album gives us the feel of his growth in music. 'The songs in this album are entirely a reflection of my thoughts. The reason why I am not publishing these songs in an album of Aronnya, my band, is because of my intentions to publish my own personal thoughts and emotions through my work. That is not something that is feasible in a band's way of working. A band's work should be a mixture of the efforts and feel of all members of the band. And thus this work is somewhere I made sure to play a dominant role in all the parts of the production.'

The artist's start, being through lessons from his mother who specialized in Rabindra Sangeet, went through various steps that led to the Dipto we know today. 'I started informal lessons from my mother when I was just a child. Then in class five I started learning drums from this elder brother on my street who played it. His inspiration and support persuaded me to succumb to my desire for music. That was also my first introduction to band music. Incidentally the first instrument that I brought was a second hand Indian Bappi Drumset which was worth 2,500 BDT. In class seven I joined my first band as a drummer. That is where I learned the guitar and in class nine I formed my own band where I became the vocal. That was the start of my professional career in music. On this note there is another aspect, which if not focused on, will keep a huge part of my story untold. This is the part about Murad Bhai. This person was a major source of inspiration for me about writing lyrics. He himself was a great lyricist and his works and personal influence greatly developed my confidence.'

Moving on to thoughts of the future, Dipto smiles when he thinks about the condition of our industry in a span of ten years. 'I dream about the international recognition of Bangladeshi Music, our current contemporary music reaching out to audience around the world. Why should it be impossible? With the rich heritage and ethnographic feel of our music why should we lag behind? Look at Latin and Brazilian Music. I don't believe it is impossible for us to convey our music and reach out to people around the world. We have our instruments to give that feel, the khomok, dotara, khol, dhol, etc. The sound and feel of these instruments are essentially our own and are strong enough to convey our own music around the world.'

Moving onto his own future, Dipto focuses on where he sees himself ten years from now. 'I would still be working, I would be a little older and I would still be smiling. And I dream of being able to work with films. Not making films but making music of good films. I plan to develop my career as a music director, so ten years from now I want to do just that.' Talking about the Meril Prothom Alo Award, Dipto expresses his surprise, 'It was stunning that I was even nominated alongside these two great singers, Bappa and Arnob, but actually getting the award was unthinkable. I am simply dumbstruck. All I can say is that I am thankful to the jury board for their trust in me. It was a great inspirational boost for me to go on with my work.'

It’s still to be seen how far this talented musician can take his dreams. With his concern for our music and the world, a lot more is suspected to be worth waiting for. For us, the audiences, it's a good deal to keep our fingers crossed and look forward to all that Dipto has to offer. His solo album was a good insight into the potential he has and with his dreams driving the industry is bound to get richer through the contributions of this strong artist. With the Meril Prothom Alo best singer award in his bag for 2008, let's hope for the best in the years to come, the international arena waits.