The man behind the shades - Ferdous Wahid, Upclose and Personal
The man behind the shades Ferdous Wahid was the most dazzling artist of the early 1970s. Wearing funky and flowery printed shirts, bell-bottom trousers and large sunglasses – he was the first to bring disco elements into Bangla songs and is still going strong, writes Faizul Khan Tanim photo Andrew Biraj FERDOUS Wahid is a symbol of pop with his flashy clothes and cheerful songs, and his music is loved by millions today. As a pop star, he started wearing sunglasses and made it a fashion statement. Watching Elvis in his bright, shiny attire and glasses was a huge encouragement for him. He remembers the first time he went to record a song for a TV programme, how all the makeup and high-powered light glowing on his face brought tears to his eyes. Inspiration struck, and he took the help of goggles to cover up those tears of joy. And from that day it became Wahid’s signature. Today, Wahid fondly remembers, ‘Soon, people could not even identify me without the pair of sunglasses. My glitzy cl...