What do you do when you are bored and in no mood to study during exams? If the question is for Dana Rasikh, the answer is that the song will be posted on Insta. It’s not a joke, it’s serious. Dana Rasikh is a blessed singer who has gifted the nation with the Covid era. Before that, Dana had started singing. However, it became more popular during the Covid era itself. Not finished, Dana has three brothers. The eldest is Rafa, the second is Tuba, the youngest is Dura… all three are good singers.
Singing is the main event when everyone gathers at home. Rafa and Tooba are married. Rafa is in Dubai with her husband Zuhair and five-year-old daughter Fareen. Tuba works in a digital marketing company in Kozhikode. Husband Hadi. Dura plus two. Uppa Rasikh and Umm Tahira are good singers.
It is not surprising that the children born in a family that loved music for life also got the same rhythm. Dana and his family are sharing the details of the song house…
Unlocked insta
Dana’s Instagram account started during the Covid era. Rafa’s insistence was behind it. Friends were surprised when the account was made public. Dana’s answer to the question of ‘what should I make private’ was ‘nothing, just to put songs’.
As mentioned, some of the songs started coming through the Instagram account. It was thought that there would be no big response, but to the shock of Dana and his friends, the number of Instagram followers crossed four and a half lakh. A number of music directors from Kerala have joined in saying that the songs are good. Soon the YouTube channel was born.
The first cover version is ‘Sundanarayawane…Subhanallah…’ from the movie Oru Halal Love Story. More than four million people listened to the song. With such a good response to the first song itself, Danak was thrilled. Patiyapathy came to Dana channel with songs in various genres.
Many were accepted by the fans with open arms. In the beginning, the nickname was Shreya Ghoshal of Malayalam. That started to change. Those who compared him to Shreya Ghoshal later said that Dana had his own style. Everyone in the house was a singer, so there was no chance for experiments. Dana is gearing up to release new songs with a team of uncle, brothers and friends.
Song family
This singing family lives near Brennan School in Thalassery. All four together will make the house sing. This meeting is very rare. All four have different tastes in the song. Dan is fond of Hindustani and film songs. Rafak is obsessed with ghazals and Arabic songs. Tuba was the first to start singing in the group. Later on, he retreated. Rafa says to try hard to sing tuba.
The songs heard by Dura will surprise everyone. If a lot of people like it, just listen to Dana. Dura is a music lover of many genres. I want to learn Hindustani. Pasuri released the cover song on Dura’s insistence.
Although Dana and Tuba sing in it, it is Dura who gets the most applause. This song has more than four million viewers. The cover version is done some time following the release of the original song. With the song becoming a hit, Dana also got an opportunity to sing the song for music director Afzal Yusuf.
Uppa Rasikh mostly likes old maple songs. While in Dubai, Raziq used to go to stage shows. Umm Tahira is a ghazal fan. Dana says that mom listens to all the songs that no one listens to. Farida Khan and Ghulam Ali are Ghazal singers on Umma’s list of favourites.
A childhood filled with song
Dad and Mom pushed Dana to the path of singing right from his childhood. Childhood was in Dubai. They will be forced to participate in programs in the Gulf till the age of five. Later, when he returned home, he participated in art festivals.
Umma chooses the songs. Uppa will take him to the trainer and teach him. There is variety in the songs and the prize is guaranteed. Ghazal will be taught by Rafa himself. At that time, Dana did not feel much interest in music, except that he participated in art festivals on the insistence of his family.
None of these people who love song so much have studied music. Rafa went to study music for a while but might not continue. Dana has been studying Hindustani music for two years now. Guru is Ustad Fayaz Khan. Ernakulam College takes music together with studies.
Maharaja’s vibe
Dana is a third year student of Political Science at Maharajas. At first I wanted to go for LL.B. Later, I decided to major in politics, which is my favorite subject. There was also a desire for civil service. He also had the desire to study singing in Ernakulam. That is how one reaches Maharaja.
Loves listening to Carnatic and Western music. First decided to learn Hindustani because it is more convenient to learn. Joined to study western music but might not complete. A year and a half of campus life was taken away by Covid. Maharajas is a hub for many talented children. So there is no specific focus here. “There are many children here who sing well,” says Dana.
Dana has also stepped into cinema. Work on a film is over. Something else is going on. I got a song that has never been sung before. There’s the thrill of it. Other hobbies include food and travel. Unseen lands must be discovered… The scroll of donation wishes has been fulfilled.
Singing and practicing
Dana says it takes time to learn like a song. Some of the songs may sound simple to the listeners. However, it can be very difficult to learn. A minimum of two days is required to learn a song. Self-assessed that he is a very slow learner of music.
So if you take more days to learn to sing, you can see its merit in that song. Some, however, instantly click in the heart. Choose the trending songs of the time for the cover song. The most heard is Fast Numbers. But mostly the melodies are sung.
Love everything regarding the songs
Singer K.S. Love the Tamil songs of the movie. A.R. Rahman is the favorite music director. Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi and Arijit Singh are favorites in Hindi. I also like Pritam Chakraborty’s songs. Songs of Santhosh Narayanan, Pradeep Kumar and Vishnu Vijay are also heard.
The Dubai show was held last Eid. Although I have lived in Dubai for a long time, this is my first time going to the Gulf for an event. On that trip, I got to know some new artists. People came to listen to the program even late at night. It was a terrible experience.
One minute video
Singer Afzal came to One Minute Music on Instagram. The recording and shooting was completed in a week. The song got a very good response.
I want to be an independent musician. Dana says that for a person like her who comes from an ordinary background, everything she gets now is a bonus. Everything happened by accident. People love the song and come close and talk with love. And will take a photo. These are great joys. It is also a wonder that people like Govind Vasantha listen to his songs.
K.S. “I was lucky to hear the compliments of Chitra, Abhay Hiranmayi and Sitara too,” Dana continued.
Dura in the way of variety
Interest in music has increased now. Music should be taken along with studies. I want to learn singing. I’m thinking of starting with Hindustani…” With a break in this conversation, the song and the lyrics were added.
“Dana is a bit more focused in our group. Music and learning go hand in hand. Don’t sing all the songs. There are some conditions. My style is to sing when I feel the mood. Melodies are the most preferred. I like Qawwali and ghazals” – says Dura.
Variety in names
“When I was in the Gulf, when I saw the variety of names, I thought I might give it to my children. Rasikh says that is how the four were given different names. When a single name is given, people call it in full. Raziq was in Dubai for 25 years. It has been almost 10 years since he came to the country. You are going to run a small business.
All of them made hits in the song because of social media. This was not the case in our time. Children are told to be selective. It is God’s blessing that all the children are singing” -Rasikh is proud of the words as he speaks.
Calligraphy and designing
Rafa studied architecture. The song has been with me for a long time. Rafak is also sad that he might not pay more attention to music during his studies. Another art form that is as dear as singing will also yield to Rafak. It is calligraphy. I am very fond of Arabic language. Umma used to do calligraphy. Even if they don’t study, they will paint on the walls. It was inspiring.
Rafa also wants to sing at least one song a month. Now everyone is active in the song. Rafa, Tuba, Dana and Dura are rarely at home together. So it is customary to sing songs with those who are there. With the addition of Tahira and Rasiq to that group, Patinkoot slowly wakes up.
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