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A treat for Rabindra Sangeet lovers
THE CITY of Joy may have lost the only Nobel Prize to be won by an Indian for literature, but "Amar Shonar Bangla" is all set to revisit Rabindranath Tagore this summer in a new way. One that hopes to not just preserve the musical wonders created by him, but also spread the spirit of his thought that continues to inspire generations of Indians.
A "young" attempt at reviving the musical treasure left behind by Rabindranath Tagore, the renowned Kolkata-based music academy Dakshinee has now released the second edition of "Gitabitan", the main and final composition of Tagore's songs. Consisting of 683 Tagore songs including popular dance-dramas "Shyama", "Chandalika" and operas like "Balmiki Pratibha" and "Mayer Khela", the set of five compact discs with the original lyrics and notations will soon hit the market.
Coming two years after the release of "Gitabitan Live-1", the second edition was described by Dakshinee on Tuesday as a much better and complete version that hopes to take Rabindra Sangeet to lovers of Bangla and the music form. What makes the second edition interesting is perhaps the role played by Dakshinee's former students who decided to fund the project to help the cause.
"Tagore was a poet, writer, educationist reformist... to me he is the greatest man of modern India. He played an important role in shaping the psyche of the Indian freedom struggle in Bengal as it was deeply influenced by his poetry. His songs have different moods and themes, but the common thread running through his songs, however, is spirituality that derives its inspiration from Upanishads," the president of Dakshinee, Ashis Mukherjee, said at a press conference in New Delhi.
With Indian artistes from across the world contributing towards the album, Dakshinee chose to call it a global effort with its students settled abroad not just lending their voice for the work but also financial assistance that has made the project possible. Tuesday's press conference to announce the production was, however, also about re-emphasising Tagore's importance even in today's time. Bangla was the ruling language of this `bilingual' press conference, with the organisers also using the occasion to argue for Tagore.
"There has been a lot of talk about how the National Anthem was actually written in praise and for the British emperor and not the country. Anyone who reads the verses carefully will know that the song was a call for revolution against the British. These rumours have been spread by people with ulterior motives," Mr. Mukherjee said.
By Lakshmi B.Ghosh
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