No boundaries

Photo: Mumit M.

Musician Kaartik has become a familiar name thanks to his association with the fusion band Bangla, though in recent times his creative efforts in other mediums are also getting recognition.
Kaartik's initiation to the music scenario happened through Bangla's debut album “Kingkortobyo-bimur”. His guitar leads in two of Bangla's albums demonstrated his potential. Of late, the musician has been working as a theatre music director. Kaartik's music direction for Prachyanat's “Raja… Ebong Onnanyo” and “Baramkhana” has been lauded by many.
“Raja…Ebong Onnanyo” is an adaptation of a Tagore classic, while “Baramkhana” is an interpretation of Fakir Lalon Shai's life and philosophy -- both understandably challenging themes for a music director. Nevertheless, Kaartik has accomplished what he set out to do, and both plays have earned plaudits for their apt music.
He is a former member of Prachyanat. He was with the troupe for over three years. Kaartik said that he joined Prachyanat to explore and learn more about music.
“I joined Prachyanat with a vision -- to be a part of a progress that changes the musical aspect of theatre, particularly, instruments used in background scores,” said Kaartik.
About his involvement with “Raja…Ebong Onnanyo”, Kaartik said that director of the play (Azad Abul Kalam) approached him regarding music direction. “Pavelda (Kalam) has greatly inspired me when I was with Prachyanat,” said Kaartik.
“Raja…Ebong Onnanyo” features 10/12 songs. The musical arrangement is theatrical and relevant to the story. Kaartik said that for the production, he did some extra scores.
“Theatre is a medium where you have a lot of scopes to play with human emotions,” said the musician.
“Baramkhana” (directed by Traupa Majumder) was another challenge for him. The production features 12 songs. Kaartik said that for “Baramkhana” he created music that reflects the Baul way of life. To execute the theme, he has used several instruments that bauls usually play with Lalon songs.
Kaartik thanks the musical teams of both “Raja…Ebong Onnanyo” and “Baramkhana” for supporting and assisting him.
Though Kaartik works in theatre and contemporary music, he considers himself to be a freelance artiste. His opinion is: “musicians should not limit themselves to a particular field; they should have no boundaries.”
About identifying with genres, the artiste said, “We should listen to all kinds of music, and once familiarised, we can decide on genres to work on.”