This
post has its roots in that feeling of guilt which makes a strong appearance every
time I sit down to watch Zee Bangla SaReGaMaPa. The tagline that goes with the
programme is “Gaane Gaane Tomar Mone” and with that they claim that they have
found a way into our hearts through all the songs on offer. And I must admit
that this programme has not only won my heart but it seems to have found a
certain whip of dominance in my head with which it lashes out at every other musical
alternative in there. Now the question is what a feeling of guilt has got to do
with a mere programme on TV? It is neither a sweet nor is it a chocolate that
the Doctor had asked me to stay away from and I failed to resist the
temptation. Will explain that "guilt" bit of course but there is something else
that precedes guilt and hence needs to be addressed first.
Yes,
before guilt, there is a great deal of embarrassment that one has to deal with as
one goes blank when asked to sing a couple of lines in his or her mother
tongue. Not being confident with one’s vocal skills is alright; not remembering any songs is acceptable but consciously ignoring one’s roots is where GUILT & SHAME come in. Today when I tune in to this programme and watch young guys and girls
unravel the rich jewels of our culture and language, I kind of feel like
kicking myself. As I look back to my school years, I can vividly recollect that
image of myself on stage and getting appreciated for Bengali recitations. I
used to be so enthusiastic with the cultural stuff that even a back row
position in chorus was an exciting prospect to me then. And yes, then there was
that bit about being a “Bangalir bachcha” as well and so expectedly my sister got a
Harmonium as a gift and I landed up in a tabla class. I liked the instrument and loved Zakir Hussain's Tajmahal tea commercial as well but it was too much for me to walk past my cricketing gang during Sunday morning
“primetime” and do “Tere kete dhinna” for a couple of hours. After a year or
so, Baba realised that I was more of a Faaki-baaj Hussain and that was the end
of my tryst with tabla. For some reason, I gradually withdrew from the cultural
activities in school and never got back that old zeal. In short, I lost a part of myself to the boring routine of a student life.
Further,
nineties was not the best time for a kid to get introduced to Bengali cinema.
We were that generation which found itself in the midst of mediocrity and
between two extremes; genius of Uttam Kumar and the brilliance of new age
Bengali cinema. Black and White stuff didn’t appeal to kids like me, “Goopi
Gyne Bagha Byne” was the lone bright star to fall back upon and most
irritating aspect was that almost every second Bengali movie seemed to be
soaked in what I call “Baba go-Ma go Glycerine". My only memory(from what I
happened to watch then) of a Bengali cinema of that decade was of perhaps
Victor Banerjee tearing up a saree and tying it up on his head before he goes
hunting for the bad guys. I almost became allergic to Bengali songs and cinema since that point due to wrong impression.
That was also the time when WWF, Bollywood Masala, 365 days of cricket and
Friday Fury invaded our living rooms in a big way. As for audio media, we
just started sailing in the vast ocean of Kishore Kumar’s hindi collection and
then there were Sanu and Udit hits as well. Whatever hindi audio cassettes were
bought home, all of those belonged to me in letter(This cassette belongs to Ayan Goswami and no one else) and in spirit while the
Bengali ones were my sister’s property. I became very meticulous while
switching channels as well and knew which channels to avoid. English songs or
drama came knocking much later and that was the final blow of the hammer that
broke all my ties with Bengali songs or cinema. Not that western music influenced me highly but it was "cool" to be in sync with your peers.
It was only when I started working in Hyderabad that the "Bangali Chele" inside me woke
up and this was thanks to a small silly revolt in my hostel room after finding my
roommates from South exhibiting obvious bias while switching channels. That was
like getting to taste my own bitter medicine. And then came that day when I
created a folder called “Bengali songs” on my PC. One or two songs every now
and then started trickling into that folder followed by a couple of movies
directed by Aparna Sen. It was a pleasant change that somewhat transformed my
opinion of Bengali entertainment industry. Ghar ka matlab Be-Ghar hoke hi pataa lagta hain!!
Being
receptive and being prepared are two different ball games altogether for this
year; when I watched Zee Bangla SA RE GA MA PA for the first time, I was so overwhelmed that I almost had
tears in my eyes. It shook me completely and I realised what I had missed over
the years. I watched the second episode and the GUILT only grew stronger. Then
came third, fourth and today it was the nth episode and every day these guys have
managed to make me fall a little bit more in love with Bengali music. When I
introspected as to which element in this TV show moved me so much, I could only
find one answer and that is BEING TRUE TO ONE’S ROOTS. As one of the lines from
Ashim Sarkar and Rishi’s Kobi-Gaan claims, FOLK IS TRULY THE MOTHER OF MUSIC. We cannot actually begin to appreciate global music without appreciating the
tunes that are so close to our heart and home. If you watch this programme, you
will find that the producers sincerely dig deeper into our cultural roots, pick various
unexposed facets and present it in such an innovative way that the impact
transcends across ages and borders. The old Bengali songs that I would have
never touched suddenly seem so fresh and fantastic. Old wine in a new bottle
actually works if the wine tastes awesome and the bottle itself grabs
eye-balls. Here, I have to praise the contestants as they perform more like
seasoned performers while the musicians create magic effortlessly every day.
All the artistes go about their business with a smile in their faces and that
is the best happiness index certainly. This is by far the best musical reality
show in India. Truly, Gaane Gaane Amaar Mone..!!
I
might not have taken tabla seriously but I simply love the instrument and can’t
stop tapping on the table or even the TV remote while I am listening to songs. That was
a miss and I regret it. Funnily, I haven’t played a game of cricket as well in
a long while. Wish I was this wise as a kid. Nevertheless, I no longer have a
narrow approach to music and not being able to remember the lines of a Bengali song
is, I guess, ACCEPTABLE. For now, I would sign off by wishing for myself a gift
wrapped box of CDs of all the performances of this season of Zee Bangla SA RE GA MA PA.
Well going by the readership, I am forced to croon- Jodi tor daak shuney keu na aashey.. tobe ekla cholo re!!!
