Rabindra Sangeet and an Udasi..

কিছু বা কোন্ চৈত্রমাসে  বকুল-ঢাকা বনের ঘাসে, মনের কথার টুকরো আমার কুড়িয়ে পাবে কোন উদাসীন........

Some part of mine may be discovered by an udashin (seeker)

over the fallen petals beside our walk way which leads to that green woods of the no-where land....

Today I’ll try to write on a topic on which anybody has some connection on this subject will disqualify me to talk at the first place, and I know this is very precious heritage for Bengalis, and all Bengalis around the globe, including me, are very sensitive to any unpleasant criticism or talk on this.  Imagine, when a chottu ( a poor under 10 years old child helper ) of a tea stall beside the highway of a remote village of India, gets an opportunity to talk about Airplane, how funny it will appear to a frequent flyer. But with his little observation of ‘up above the sky’ and little bit imagination, his presentation may carry some interesting perspective.  So please take this article with that spirit.

Rabindra sangeet is a very interesting topic for me to talk about, it is a great treasure of Bengali literature and at the same time it has done the worst damage to the Bengali society. Whatever I am putting together, is an honest personal view of mine through my very own little insignificant world of perception, about a great literature work.

After the patent on the works of that great Bengali personality got expired, everybody is taking opportunity to put little piece of his/her own contribution on top of that individual’s creation, I’ll be honest in spite of many criticism around, I like some of them, so I thought why not me ?

Rabindra sangeet is a great friend of mine, it gives company to my every mood, with little effort, I can pick up a right song which goes along to give company to a particular emotion. Some time I get amazed how a person can create literature with equal proficiency for every possible moods and so many different ways ! But still I think if we just stop over there, we will miss an altogether different dimension of those songs.

Most of the songs carries two profound messages. An apparent meaning, which is the outburst of long concealed emotion and an inner meaning which addresses universal seeking, which helps us to look beyond personal sorrow and sufferings and can connect ourselves with our trueselves. But this aspect is covered by that apparent emotional flow and the description of all the stresses and strains of social relationships, which is very appealing no doubt, as it can be related to our personal suffering very easily. But I think, the other side of that is much more deeper much more engaging much more conductive for expansion of a personality. In our Bengali culture, we celebrate the apparent part of the songs more generously. And Rabindra sangeet has a very profound impact in today’s Bengali society. We all Bengali boys seek comfort of our emotion from Rabindra Sangeet but do not try to reach that level which is beyond emotion, which can give strength to us to face the world with its reality, that element of  these songs we simply ignore, in our listening habit of Rabindra Sangeet. Lack of that boldness can very commonly be observed in the Rabindra Sangeet lover Bengali characters.

I was reading in an article of Bartanan Patrika, in current Bengali movies and serials you can easily notice the absence of strong positive male characters, mostly strong male personalities are portrait as villain.

I am not sure at the age of glorifying femininity in male characters, how much sense and appreciation my words can make, but some feeling tells me, it may not be all good. Accepting all forms of nature and celebrating a type of character for a particular nature must have little difference. And crossing that fine line doesn’t produce any good, neither for the character nor for the society.

There is a hidden message in Sakhi bhaona kahare bole….which goes very much in line with Ei tumi ki amay bhalobaso…of  Nachiketa which talks about radiating or being in that overflowing Love which can exist with out reciprocation that we normally miss.

If life gives me opportunity, I would love to seek that other aspect of Rabindra sangeet….which talks about ‘Aguner Parash mani….’which talks about ‘Chitta jetha bhay shunya…’

I’ll end this writing with my the most favorite poem of Rabindranath Tagore.

Chitta Jetha Bhay Shunya…

Where the mind is without fear...

চিত্ত যেথা ভয়শূন্য, উচ্চ যেথা শির,

জ্ঞান যেথা মুক্ত, যেথা গৃহের প্রাচীর

আপন প্রাঙ্গণতলে দিবসশর্বরী     

বসুধারে রাখে নাই খণ্ড ক্ষুদ্র করি,    

যেথা বাক্য হৃদয়ের উত্‍‌সমুখ হতে  

উচ্ছ্বসিয়া উঠে, যেথা নির্বারিত স্রোতে

দেশে দেশে দিশে দিশে কর্মধারা ধায় 

অজস্র সহস্রবিধ চরিতার্থতায়,        

যেথা তুচ্ছ আচারের মরুবালুরাশি   

বিচারের স্রোতঃপথ ফেলে নাই গ্রাসি—  

পৌরুষেরে করে নি শতধা, নিত্য যেথা

তুমি সর্ব কর্ম চিন্তা আনন্দের নেতা,   

নিজ হস্তে নির্দয় আঘাত করি, পিতঃ, 

ভারতেরে সেই স্বর্গে করো জাগরিত॥

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. 

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