The Custodian of Rabindrasangeet

Q: How do you look at the recent trends in Rabindra Sangeet, particularly the experimentation done by the likes Pijush Kanti Sarkar?

A: I don't know much about this experimentation but what I can tell you is how Tagore himself presented his song and what he wrote in his book Sangeet Chinta about how it should be rendered.

Tagore has developed his own Swaralipi. But you can't really put suggestion for gayaki in Swaralipi. Learning Rabindra Sangeet or for that matter any brand of music of the subcontinent is gurumukhi that is it depends wholly on what the ustad is teaching his pupil. What I feel imperative in presenting Rabindra Sangeet is a fair understanding of his writing. It's only through comprehending his creation that a clean gayaki can be developed. For this Sangeet Chinta is a core book to follow.

Q: What was exactly the dispute between Debabrata and the Biswabharati?

A: The argument or disagreement was on Debabrata's use of western music in Tagore song which the so-called guardians at Biswabharati couldn't accept.

Q: What do you feel about it and by extension do you think there should be individual interpretations in presenting Tagore song?

A: Yes. Of course. What Debabrata was trying to do was to capture the mood and the essence of the song. If one song is put into western tune, Debabrata tried to sing it in that way and recapture its western essence and even, you know, he sang Tagore's compositions in English and in French.Tagore himself hasn't put any embargo on the use of western musical instruments.

Q: You were with the legendary theatre group 'Bahurupi', tell us something about it.

A: We were once staging Tagore's celebrated play Raktakarabi or Red Oleander with Sambhu Mitra as its director. He decided that the character Bishu in the play should wear trousers instead of dhoti. And that created an uproar. The then secretary of Biswabharati, the traditional bastion to uphold the sanctity of Rabindranath, vehemently opposed it. Debabrata stuck to his argument that Tagore has not given any specific description about Bishu's garment. And the context of the drama indicates that trousers can be worn. Finally they gave up and Raktakarabi was staged with Bishu wearing trousers.

Q: What is your impression about the present generation of Tagore singers?

A: Well, I don't see anything wrong in the present trend. Still it hasn't began to rot. But I don't know what will happen in future. Respect for the composer and his creation is a must without it the essence of a song is supposed to suffer at the hand of its singer. For example the song Aami Takhana Chhilemo Magana Gahana Ghumero Ghore ... it is in Baul or mystic tune but the message in it demands a slower treatment than the faster Baul beat. Singing Tagore song is an intellectual exercise as well.

Q: Who was your model in Rabindra Sangeet when you started?

A: Frankly speaking I had no model as such. I used to pick up what by guru was teaching me and tried to perfect that.

Q: Who was your guru?

A: Subha Guha Takurata. But it was actually Shambhu Mitra who injected in me the true understanding of Tagore song. My contact with him was highely rewarding in every sense.

He used to say to us that be it song or theatre production if you can't convey what is being said in them there is no point of rendering them. That was the eye opener for me. My background in theatre and particularly association with Bahurupi and its life force legendary Shambhu Mitra inspired me to seek for clear diction and clean gayaki free from the elitist and nasalized presentation.

Q: When you choose a new song for rendition what do you do with it? Do you try to find out the historical context of its composition or what?

A: Yes. You have to know why and when a particular composition is done, then you have to comprehend the song. Tagore song is not only ends in tune the message is equally important. So an understanding of the song is vital in communicating the essence of Rabindra Sangeet. For example if a song is about Swadeshi you have to know the social context of that time to capture the mood of the composition. I remember Debabrata saying, "If you want to sing Rabindra Sangeet, don't render it without an understanding of its meaning."

Q: Is it one way traffic or two way?

A: Two way definitely. Your interpretation and what Tagore has to say in a song is what makes a rendition better.