Dhaka, Sept. 5 -- Few voices in the region's folk music have carried the soul of rural Bengal quite like Abdul Alim, whose deeply moving songs turned the experiences of ordinary people into an enduring musical legacy.

The legendary folk singer died on this day 52 years ago (September 5, 1974) at the erstwhile PG Hospital in Dhaka, aged 43. He has been dead longer than he lived, yet songs including 'Naiya Rey Nayer Badaam Tuila', 'Holudia Pakhi Shonar Boron', 'Porer Jaiga Porer Jomi' and 'Shorbonasha Padma Nodi' continue to resonate across generations.

Born on July 27, 1931, in Talibpur village of Murshidabad, Alim developed an interest in music during childhood. His first two recorded songs, 'Tor Mostafa-ke De Na Mago' and 'Aftab Ai Bas...