Notun Kore Pabo Bole - Breaking Frontiers in Rabindrasangeet

It is raining…pouring in fact.

The monsoons have provided a perfect backdrop as Sahana’s voice fills up my small antechamber, and I wonder, how in the world do I
transmit this feeling of unison- with the lyrics, the raindrops and the all-pervading calm peppering her impeccable notes. Yet, I must write about this latest foray into the world of Tagore Songs, breaking the shackles of a hegemonic Vishva Bharati straitjacket. I simply have to.
The danger, needless to say, lies precisely there. There is this sheer euphoria of rediscovering the 19th century Genius in terms of today’s sound, in the realm of unchartered territories of choral harmony, electronic soundscape. And this makes it nearly impossible to objectively view the experiment. But then luckily have tasted the works of Joy Sarkar, Abraham Mazumdar, Durbadawl Chattopadhyaye and Amit Bandhopadhyaye in the domain of alternate arrangement of Tagore songs. Hence probably getting an unaffected perspective was a wee bit easier.
Talking about affectations, let’s get going with the post mortem. While Sahana’s tonal quality, the ‘jawari’ or the microtones and the presence of ‘gamagam’ or wavy resonance is enviable, her gayaki and diction is still affected by the Shantiniketanesque drawls and stretches. Something, if one doesn’t hear her speak, might put it down as a tool specially invoked for singing of Tagore songs. Hence, the criticism that she doesn’t sing in the diction she speaks in is alluring, though not quite valid as I have found out. But beyond that slight affectation, there is something very unique about her voice. There is this tinge of melancholy, which for some songs is a huge blessing, and for some, a constraint which needs conscious care. For example, when she sings ‘Ki jaani kishero laagi praano kore haaye haaye’ (Phule phule dhole dhole e) or ‘Ekla diner buker bhetore byathar toofan tole’ (Oi je jhawrer meghe)…I feel these lines were written for her voice. But then, in the same song ( Oi je jhawrer meghe), this melancholy is a constraining factor as it dampens the nervous energy which one associates with the trembling anticipation of the song. In fact, Oi je jhawrer meghe is probably one of the most intriguing renditions in the album. In places, she sounds deliciously somber and fills up the senses with a strange melancholy, probably a result of a very adolescent feel to her rendition…painting the image of a 15 year old child-woman down with fever, looking out of the window into the impending monsoon. In other places, she sounds slightly insipid and, to borrow from William Porter, paints a gray pigeon sitting on a gray roof against a gray sky- the energy of green is missing from the soundscape.
Legend and the CD inlay leaflet has it that, it is this soundscape the alchemists like Joy Sarkar, Arnob Sayon Chowdhury are after…to find the golden sepia which will elevate the compostions and lyrics of Tagore to the still unexplored land of El Dorado. And there, Arnob succeeds, and how. He goes for a mélange of synthesized instruments, flute, esraj, khol, tabla and creates magic- in all, but Etodin je boshe chhilem. Probably, there is an inherent bias in yours truly against the contrived nature of lyrics and the commonplace predictability of the composition…but somehow it seems worse than it usually sounds with the techno horsehoof beats and strings sustain. But barring that, Arnob leaves an indelible impact on the listener’s mind- be it the Himalayan majesty of the Drupadi Tomarei koriyachhi jibonero dhrubotara and its dulcet esraj prelude, or the tinkling beats of the playful Tumi kon pawthe je ele. Masterstrokes? Bringing out the distinctive beauty of the Desh raag by a beautifully woven esraj interlude in Oi je jhawrer. The thoughtful and discerning use of two stage choral harmony in Phule phule dhole or Aamaar nishitho raatero, the latter giving a distinct feel of a lonely, silent night where even heartbeats have an echo, following in loyal harmonization. Or the pearl drops as one enters ‘Hridoyegogone shawjolo ghawno nobino meghe’ and one can almost feel the pitter patter of the ‘Rawsher dhara’; in More bhabonaare ki haawaaye maataalo. More bhabonaare, which is credited to Tagore, but is actually composed by Shushil Bhanja Chowdhury, is probably the most visual of the arrangements, the pearl drops and the bass guitar collaborating to etch out a fantastic vascillation of thoughts, aided by gusts of the monsoon winds. Then there are conventional touches like the flute in Tomaar khola hawa and the tabla in More bhabonare, which to Arnob’s credit, sound amazingly fresh.
What is also fresh is Sahana’s take as a communicator in some of the songs. While she is not that effective in songs like More bhabonaare, Tomaar khola hawa (in both songs Arnob’s arrangement clearly overshadows her in efficacy) or Kon puraaton, in some songs the delivery is ethereal. Tomarei koriyachhi suits the austerity of her diction to the hilt, and her confession, her surrender is immortalized by her superbly restrained emoting. In Aaj jyotsnaraate, she makes an impact despite the precedence of a similar yet brilliantly minimalist version of the same. Joy Sarkar was the arranger in that version, and Sraboni Sen was the singer…hence establishing a separate identity for this version was not easy. But she, in collusion with Arnob did so with élan, imparting the sad, wistful tinge remarkably well. Phule phule dhole dhole was exquisite as well, not the least due to her beautifully delicate and smooth delivery. But the piece de resistance remains Aamaar nishitho raatero baadolodhara, a song which despite having a few heavyweight interpretations by reputed names, I believe Sahana has made her own. You would only notice Arnob’s ubiquitous use of bass on the third or fourth hearing, for the first two times, you will want to soak your blues in the divine grains of her voice. I tried very hard to shake off the hangover of my first exposure to Arnob-Sahana’s magic in an experimental, unpublished rebel CD, few years back during the days of the copyright. A CD which also featured other singers like Manoj and Manisha Murali Nayyar, Vikram Singh and Aditi Paul (the Indian Idol aspirant). Sahana’s only song in that collection was Aamaar nishitho raatero, and it captured my imagination like no other. Nothing has changed, I guess.
In all, Notun kore pabo bole rocks. Blues and pops, rather. And as winds of change sweeps across the vast landscape of Tagore songs and their presentation, the album goes a long way in establishing the fact, that times they are a changing. And changing for the better, if you ask our generation. Tagore himself once said, that however well-paved and rosy might be path of tradition and convention, it is only by traversing the thorn-strewn alleys of innovation and re-interpretation which can bring creative emancipation and evolution.
A number of people have started taking to those demanding streets of glory and you know what? It’s about time too….
Time to savour the rainbow of interpretations.
Because the skies have cleared now.
Because it has stopped raining…pouring, in fact.