Arindam Sarkar
Summer of 1920. It was past midnight. Moon was shining bright in Shantiniketan. A tall man with flowing white hair and beard stepped out of his cottage and briskly walked towards the house of Dinendranath Tagore.
Dinu Thakur was no ordinary man. Rabindranath Tagore described his Principal of Visva Bhaarti Sangeet Bhavan as: Amar Shokol Ganer Kandari. Amar Shokol Shurer Bhandari. A man with a baritone voice and trained in Hindustani Classical Music, Dinu Thakur picked up the music and notation from Rabindranath after he conceived it and passed it on to the students, what was to become a gharana and famous as Rabindra Sangeet.
No wonder that night, and many nights afterwards, Gurudev used to be in a hurry to catch Dinu Thakur, lest he forgot the music he had just arranged for one of his new songs. "Aaj Rater Belai Gaan Elo Mor Mone, Tokhon Tumi Chilena Mor Shone," Tagore wrote when he could not find Dinu Thakur one such night.
Seventy years after the Nobel Laureate poet's death, his songs remain immortal, soul-searching and divine. Tagore wrote some 2,230-odd songs. The collection of his songs is compiled in a book called Gitabitan (Garden of Songs). Tagore's songs have been categorized into four parts: Puja (worship), Prem (love), Prakriti (nature) and Bichitra (diverse).
"The songs are subtle. It is difficult to categorize the divine from profane and love from worship," said the renowned Rabindra Sangeet exponent Dwijen Mukhopadhyay. Lamenting the death of Suchitra Mitra, the last of the Holy Quartet of Rabindra Sangeet – Debabrata Biswas, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Kanika Bandopadhyay being the other three – he emphasised that by no means should we deviate from the notation of Rabindra Sangeet and the songs should be sung the way Rabindranath wanted them to be rendered.
History has it that Shantideb Ghosh, Sailaranjan Majumdar, Anadi Dastidar, Shubinoy Roy, Nilima Sen and Shubho Guha Thakurta were principal disciples of Tagore who learnt Rabindra Sangeet. And from them, Pankaj Mullik, Kanika Bandopadhyay, Suchitra Mitra, Dwijen Mukhopadhyay, Maya Sen, Sumitra Sen among others learnt the virtuosity of Rabindra Sangeet. But it is Debabrata Biswas and Hemanta Mukhopadhyay who popularised Rabindra Sangeet among all strata of Bengali society.
Suchitra Mitra had said notation is the structure, but one has to understand the song first and then express it while singing Rabindra Sangeet. Die-hard Rabindra Sangeet exponents say they cannot accept deviation from Tagore’s compositions in songs such as "Diner Sheshe, Ghumer Deshe, Ghomta Pora Oi Chaya", "Jodi Tor Dak Shune Keu Na Ashe, Tobe Ekla Chole Re", "Hey Bhairab Shakti Dao, Bhakti Pane Chao", "Kharo Bayu Boye Bege, Chari Dike Chaye Meghe", "Krishna Koli Ami Tarei Boli", etc.
But with the Holy Quartet no more, is Rabindra Sangeet witnessing a transformation? Will the experimentation by the new genre of singers, composers and Bangla Bands break the legacy of Rabindra Sangeet? This has raised a debate among the old and the new school exponents of Rabindra Sangeet, both of whom vouch by the poet and his Gharana.
The traditionalists believe Tagore songs are sacrosanct and cannot be tampered with. "How can we play around with such Tagore songs as "Purano Shei Diner Kotha", "Je Raate More Duar Guli Bhanglo Jhorey", "Akash Bhora Surya Tara", "Tora Je Ja Bolish Bhai, Amar Sonar Horin Chai", etc. Experiment, but no one has the moral right to change the notation and lyrics. Rabindra Sangeet's sense of aesthetics has to be maintained," said a keen Rabindra Sangeet follower Nirbed Roy.
Tagore songs became popular after it was brought out from the creamy layer of the Brahmo Samaj to the masses in 1903. The use of Tagore songs in films made it hugely popular. Songs sung by Pramotesh Barua, Kanan Devi, Kundal Lal Saigal and Pankaj Mullik became major hits. Ritwik Ghatak's use of Tagore song in Meghe Dhaka Tara and by Satyajit Ray in Charulata added to its popularity. But hardliners insist that earlier generation did not tamper with the essence of Tagore songs in films.
Criticising the experimentation being done in Rabindra Sangeet by the present generation, Dwijen Mukhopahyay said Tagore himself wrote his songs should be sung the way he has composed it. “People love the way Tagore composed his songs but there is madness among the new generation. In an attempt to create grandeur they are flouting rules,” claimed Dwijen.
"There is restlessness among the new generation artists. Rabindra Sangeet cannot be mastered overnight. It is just not voice; they should read Tagore and present the lyrics in such a form that it touches the heart. You got to keep the instrument, notation and expression of the songs intact," argued Dwijen Mukhopadhyay.
Describing the new generation singers as escapists, he claimed that recordings of old school singers were still selling more. "The new crop tried Adhunik songs but when it failed to sell, they shifted to Rabinda Sangeet since it is popular. Tagore created five taals called Rabindra Shreshta Taals. They are Shoshti, Rupkrra, Naba, Ekadashi and Naba Pancha. So without a classical base, there is no short cut," claimed Dwijen.
Tagore repertoire of songs has the influenced of Baul, Bhatiyali, Tappa, Dhrupad, Western and Eastern music. "Prothomo Adi Tabo Shakti" is based on Dipak Raag. "Anando Dhara Bohiche Bhubane" is based on Maalkosh Raag. These songs are not attempted by new singers. "Where is the spirit of Kanan Devi when she rendered, "Hare Re Re, Amay Chere Dere". Or Pankaj Mullik's spirited rendition of "Kharo Bayu Boye Bege"," asked Nirbed Roy.
An old school Rabindra Sangeet exponent, Sumitra Sen is not opposed to experimentation within limits. She believes to compete with Jazz and Pop cultures, there is no harm in bringing change in instrumentation while presenting Rabindra Sangeet. If people accept it, where is the harm in doing it," asked Sumitra Sen.
Interestingly, the new generation singers are not only confident of keeping the legacy of Rabindra Sanget alive, but say the experimentation done in music arrangement does not affect the heart and soul of the poet's creation. One of the most successful exponents of Rabindra Sangeet of this generation, Srabani Sen says they are able successors of their great predecessors.
"We have grown listening and learning the way they sang the Tagore songs. We do not want to deviate from Tagore style. We are making it more colourful. I believe in touching the hearts of the people and make them sing with me than hear them say sadhu, sadhu," said Srabani Sen.
Srabani says, the days of Mondira, Esraj, Khol and Tabla are gone. People love hearing the accompaniment of synthesizer, guitars and modern percussion instrument with Rabindra Sangeet. "Rabindra Sangeet is no less popular now. And if we deviate from the original, people will not accept it," she added.
Speaking on the same lines, singer Rupankar said after the expiry of Visva Bharti copyright, music companies are recording Rabindra Sangeet more compared to Adhunik, because Rabindra Sangeet's acceptability is very high. "My albums never deviate, nor do the works of contemporary singers. Keeping Tagore intact, we can do new arrangements. And why not?" says Rupankar, whose experimental Rabindra Sangeet number "Pagla Hawa Badal Diner" in Bong Connection is a hit.
Defending his generation, Rupankar adds he can show how Hemanta, Chinmoy Chattopahyay and even Pankaj Mullik deviated from the original Rabindra Sangeet. "So there is no reason to believe our predecessors were holy cows," he claimed.
That Rabindra Sangeet is the result of Tagore's experimentation is claimed by none other than the leading Rabindra Sangeet exponent Srikanta Acharya. Experimentation is not wrong, but it should not be misused. "Any deviation is bad. We cannot tamper the intellectual content. We cannot disrespect the sensitivity and structured compositions of Tagore," said Srikanta.
Claiming that Tagore's intellectual appeal is much more than Atul Prasad, Dwijendralal, Rajanikanta and Kazi Nazrul Islam, Srikanta fears threat to Rabindra Sangeet is not from experimentation in sound scape but from tampering of lyrics in the next 30 years. "People are more bothered about sound scape than the song content. This is dangerous,” he said.
Given the popularity of Rabindra Sangeet, Bangla Bands Bhoomi and Dohar have come out with albums on Tagore songs. Even percussionist Bickram Ghosh and sitarist Purbayan Chatterjee are coming out with albums on Tagore songs with their ownmusical experimentation. "Khara Bayu Boy Bege" is Blue Grass Country experimentation and "Jyotsna Raate Sobai Geche Boney" is Blues improvisation. "Sound is changing. Interpretation is changing. We are not qualified to do more. Lyrics and music are same," said Lead singer of Bhoomi, Surojit.
Ten years back, he experimented with classical music when he did Rhythm Scape. This January, he is experimenting with Rabindra Sangeet with his album Tagore Lounge. Percussionist Bickram Ghosh believes no music is static. Soul of the music remains, what changes is the listening habit. "We have to address the frequency comfort zones. Every generation has the right to interpret its tradition, as long as the aesthetics remains intact," says Bickram Ghosh.
He says Tagore aesthetics cannot be compromised. The idea is to present an easy-listening album experimenting with Rabindra Sangeet sound scape. "I have made "Ananda Dhara" into a regal grandeur and "Amaro Porano Jaha Chai" into a sexy blue number. But spirit of Tagore is intact," assures Bickram Ghosh.
So as the older generation frowns and goes into hiccups, the new generation of Rabindra Sangeet singers and arrangers say that experiment will continue but so will the legacy of its composer Rabindranath Tagore.
