Being an exponent of Bengali culture, Rabindranath Tagore’s creations are always considered timeless and evergreen. But when it comes to the tech-driven 21st century, the young generation, sometimes, find it tough to fit in the omnificent artiste’s creations. When there was a time where the artistes didn’t want to introduce western instruments to the musical arrangements of Bengali music with the apprehension of losing purity, Tagore fearlessly infused piano to a number of his tracks and created highly revered pieces of music. He had the courage to break in.
Days change, so do the demands. These days the urge for newer styles in presentation of his poems, dramas, music and other creations is so huge that staying out of the league is like staying out of the taste. Around the globe, creative people are doing something different everywhere to feel the maestro in a diversified way.
Ohornish Events arranged such a performance on November 22 in collaboration with the EMK center.
The title was pretty simple: Tarunne Ranga Rabindranath (Rabindranath in the colors of the youths). Well, though Rabindranath was always a colorful character in the Bengali Literature, yet on Sunday’s youths need to paint him in their own hues. The autumn-evening programme featured a musical narration called Notun Jouboner Doot, performed by Shwapnil Shojib, Sumana Biswas, Samiul Islam Poluck and Debolina Shur followed by a performance by band Dharok.
Notun Jouboner Doot was basically an aggregated act consisting of recitations and songs. Art of vocals were stretched with the songs and poems like Mati Toder Dak Diyechhe, O Amar Desher Mati, Badh Bhenge Dao and Amra Notun Jouboner Doot. The message was patriotic, timeless and encouraging towards the spirit of the youth. As Shaik Borhan Uddin, the lead organiser of the event, says, “We have a clear message to the youths. Rabindranath is for all generations. Come and feel his creations. We are just paving a way for you to interact with this great mind.”
Dharok, a 6-member band, rendered 11 songs of Rabindranath Tagore in their own style. They presented songs of different tastes like Aaj Jotsnarate, Ekla Cholo Re, Mor Bhabonare, Bhalobashi Bhalobashi and more. Nirjhar and Nadia Dora, as lead vocals teamed up with Jitu in guitar, Shahed in keyboards, Sohel in drums and Shimul in bass and moved the audience with their energetic performance. The arrangement was more like a rock cooked tribute to Tagore. They included vocal improvisations with creative use of guitar and drums. Nontheless, audience welcomed it warmly.
It needs time to tell how the generations will adopt Rabindranath and to what extent their experimentation will be widely accepted. But such attempts will definitely contribute to get things more into the views. Ohornish plans to continue their journey with more regular shows. So the audience might expect to see such experimental shows more often.