Suchitra Mitra recounting Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali khan

I would argue if anyone introduces Suchitra Mitra just as a veteran Rabindra Sangeet singer. I think it is only a popular perception while, in reality, her repertoire encompasses a wide range of interests. 

Such confident, bold personality is rare in entire Bangla music scene. In a casual discussion, she recounted her childhood, family and camaraderie of her friend-circle:  

আচ্ছা, এবার আপনার বন্ধুদের কথা জিজ্ঞেস করি। আপনার এক বিশিষ্ট বন্ধু আমার খুব প্রিয় মানুষ এবং সারা বাংলাদেশ এবং ভারতবর্ষের প্রিয় মানুষ হেমন্ত দা.. 

হুম

তো হেমন্তদা' কে আপনি যখন প্রথম দেখেন ঐ চেহারাটা মনে আছে?

হ্যাঁ, হেমন্ত ছিল একচুয়ালি আমার দিদিদের বন্ধু। হেমন্ত আমার থেকে বছর তিনেকের বড় ছিল। তো আমার সঙ্গে হেমন্তের আলাপ যখন...তখন পনেরো বছর বয়স 

[... ]      

আর জর্জদা'র সঙ্গে কী রকম ছিল আপনার সম্পর্ক?

জর্জদা আমার থেকে চৌদ্দ বছরের বড়। তবু আমাকে দিদিমনি-আপনি বলতো। আমি জর্জ-আপনি বলতাম। দাদা-টাদা কাউকে বলতাম না। জর্জ-এর সঙ্গে আড্ডা জমতো। আমাদের খুব আড্ডা দেবার স্বভাব ছিল। 

আপনি তো একেও বোধহয় দাদা বলতেন না-  সত্যজিৎ রায় কে?      

সত্যজিৎ কে আপনি বলতাম। কিন্তু সত্যজিৎ... আমি দাদা কাউকে বলিনি।  

আর উনিতো আপনার কনটেমপরারিও ছিলেন... আপনার...?

আ... কনটেমপরারি না, আমার থেকে একটু সিনিয়ার ছিলেন শান্তিনিকেতনে। ও তো কলাভবনে ছিল, আর আমি সংগীতভবনে ছিলাম। আর বয়সে সত্যজিৎ আমার থেকে বড়। 

While recounting her first meeting with Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, she almost had goosebumps and could not hold tears. It is wonderful to see how one legend recalls another: 

The Violin Player

A violin player lived in a dingy flat in Mumbai with his wife who works in Bollywood industry as junior artist. He plays sessions in recording studios. But the earnings both can make was hardly enough to survive in a busy town like Mumbai. One day while returning home he was followed by a mysterious stranger who offered him to play at much higher rate. Initially skeptic, he made up his mind shortly, and followed the stranger to a secluded part of the town, having no clue of what was waiting for him next. But it was not until the recording started that he found himself in a difficult situation to play along with the film casted on computer screen.

Life, in general, deals with dilemma of various sorts, and yet somehow makes its way to move on. Philosophies we live by often contradicts with each other leaving us unsure which path to follow, which decision to make. But, when it comes to basic survival needs we often turn out to be very much predictable in terms of our actions, behavior, setting priorities. This film intends to shed light on such gray area.

I.D.

I think I've become a fan of Geetanjali Thapa. This is her second film I've watched in a row, and I absolutely liked it. 

A girl in her mid-twenties shifted to Mumbai from Sikkim to attend a job interview in a big corporate house. She was living at her friend's apartment. Just a day before her interview, alone in the apartment she was visited by a laborer who was contracted over phone by her friend to paint living room's wall. Reluctantly she let him in and start working. 

Everything was going as usual until, all of a sudden, she discovered the person collapsed while working, and was lying down on the floor as if dead. Panicked she rushed for help calling securities, neighbors, but could hardly manage getting him to a nearby hospital. Doctor suggested he had a brain hemorrhage, and might die if not operated immediately. As story revealed, it appeared that the laborer had no identity card or valid phone number to trace his relatives or anyone who can identify him. The girl got involved unwillingly and found herself burdened with unnecessary responsibilities while she had to attend the much desired interview. Her friends, at some point, started blaming her for being so naive and emotional about a stranger's life. She argued on basic humanitarian ground, and decided to move ahead to trace his family on herself, which led her to urban slums and many other dark parts of the city.

The film will make you feel lost in a mess of a metropolitan city where every human being seems to be trapped in a system. Humanitarian aspect of life is ignored as people get busier with getting jobs, networking, improving standard of living, enjoying weekends over loud parties and what not. Amidst all of these, what remains unheard is the true calling of our heart. We start hanging out with wrong people, get ourselves into wrong profession. And, yet we carry on a pretentious life just to keep pace with the urban culture, to keep our head above water to survive in this never ending race.

Liar's Dice

The story begins from a small village located at Tibet border- so remote that hardly visited by any transports. Residents are a small group of villagers who speak Nepali. A woman named Kamala seems worried for her husband who went to Sikkim for work, and did not come back since. Villagers seem to be pretty much indifferent as if such disappearance of men in their village is a common incident. Determined she embarks on a journey to find her husband. Her baggage includes a small daughter and her pet goat. A very little she knows in the beginning about what is waiting for her next, and that it might turn her life upside down. 

Movies directed by women often reveals fresh perspectives which are mostly overlooked in male dominated industry. Liar's Dice is a case in point. The kind of emotional dilemmas, psychological struggle Kamala exhibited throughout her journey from Sikkim to Delhi are quite unique. At times she appears to be vulnerable, helpful and compromising, and in very next minute, she becomes the strongest, arrogant and vengeful protecting her child and herself. As if her innate instinct guides her in terms of how much risks to take, how to deal with complete strangers, how to make friends when needed and above all, how she can attain her goal.      

Geetanjali Thapa won National Film Award for best actress for her role- Kamala. And, this film was nominated for Oscar screening from India in foreign movie category.       

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তরুণ মজুমদারের সিনেমায় হেমন্তের গাওয়া গান

এবার নীরব করে দাও হে তোমার মুখর কবিরে

তার হৃদয়-বাঁশি আপনি কেড়ে বাজাও গভীরে

নিশীথরাতের নিবিড় সুরে, 

বাঁশিতে তান দাও হে পুরে

যে তান দিয়ে অবাক কর গ্রহশশীরে

যা-কিছু মোর ছড়িয়ে আছে জীবন-মরণে,

গানের টানে মিলুক এসে তোমার চরণে।

বহুদিনের বাক্যরাশি      

এক নিমেষে যাবে ভাসি

একলা বসে শুনব বাঁশি অকূল তিমিরে। 

- 

অহেতুক নয়নতারা

অহেতুক নয়নতারা





একটা অচেনা গাছের ঘ্রাণ

বন্ধুর মত পাশে এসে বসে।

পাতার ভেতর লুকনো দুপুর

ক্রমশ গড়িয়ে যাচ্ছে দূরে

পার্কে-

আরো নির্জন বেঞ্চির খোঁজে।

সবুজ ওড়ে নিঃস্তব্ধ বনের শেষে,

পিয়ানো মেঘ হলে শহরেও বৃষ্টি নামে।

যাবো না আর বৃক্ষের কাছে,

নয়নতারার কাছে।

অবৈধ সন্তানের মত

সে আমাকে একা ফেলে গেছে।

সমস্ত মানস থেকে মুছে ফেলে জন্মদাগ,

রৌদ্রস্মৃতি

যেন বিষাক্ত স্তনের মুখে এক নীলবর্ণ শিশু

ফোয়ারার মত উঠে দাঁড়িয়েছে

শান্ত জরায়ু ভেঙে

এক ভীষণ অপ্রস্তুত সকালে।

--
(১৭/৭/১৭)

হার-মানা হার

There were numerous uses of Rabindranath's song in Bangla movies. As it seems, we are still running short of noteworthy lyricist and composer in contemporary movie scene. Hence, Rabindranath remains as one and only mighty rescuer. I wonder - did he or any of his trustee get royalty for his songs being used in commercial purposes? 

A bright side of this practice is perhaps we got some beautiful voices like of Shibaji Chatterji, Hemanta Mukherjee singing Tagore in a more refreshing, vibrant and appealing way, which otherwise might not be possible if Tagore was restricted within academic practice only.

--

  

Okja

It is a story about a girl and her pet Okja - a 'super' pig. Both of them grew up in a remote Korean village on top of mountains, and became good friends overtime. Okja was featured across american media for its giant shape. Subsequent events unfold as the girl embarks on a journey to prevent a large food manufacturing company from slaughtering her pet. Underlying message is don't kill animals!  

At the end, it may leave you wonder why it is so difficult for human being to become vegetarian or vegan? Are we scared of sacrificing our appetite for meat? or, are we afraid of being committed to a cause? Who to blame really? Our ancestors- who first taught us to devour meat? 

What if I was never introduced to meat from early childhood? Would I find meat disgusting now, if I tried it for the first time in my life? 

To kill or, not to kill - a classic moral dilemma it is. 

- 

As if a lifetime has passed awake

Koi fariyaad tere dil mein dabi ho jaise
(It’s as if a complaint is suppressed in your heart)


Singers- Jagjit Singh & Rekha Bhardwaj

এপিফেনি

এপিফেনি






অসুখের দোষ দিও না আর

তোমার রক্তেই আসলে মীন-শোক।

যতটুক বৃষ্টির পরে খুলে পড়ে রাত

গুঙিয়ে ওঠে ত্রস্ত হরিণ তোমার

নির্জন নাভির নিচে

কতদিন লুকিয়ে রাখবে তাকে?

শব্দহীন শহরের বুকে

এতবড় দীর্ঘশ্বাস

কোথায় গিয়ে লুকোবে, হুম?

শহরের দোষ দিও না আর,

তোমার রক্তেই আসলে সুগন্ধ লোবান।


আসছে আষাঢ়ে-

আমি তোমার নৌকাডুবি চাই!

বেপথু সন্ধ্যায় যেন হঠাৎ পথ হারাও,

আলজিভ শুকিয়ে পড়ে থাকো

বিধ্বস্ত,  শ্রী-হীন স্বামীর ঘরে।

সমুদ্র সরে যাক সুমিষ্ট তীর থেকে

প্রত্যেক পা কাটুক তোমার বিপন্ন ঝিনুকে।

প্রেমিকের দোষ দিও না আর-

তোমার শরীরেই আসলে সবুজ এপলের ঘ্রাণ;

আমি আকণ্ঠ তোমাকেই নেবো।

-
(১৪/৭/২০১৭)

Tum Hamare Nahin

You've never been mine - yet no regret;
That I was meant for you seems enough to content.