Gitanjali Express - Calcutta to Bombay

Indranath Mukherjee | 7th Mar 2024

The Gitanjali Express connects Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Bombay (now Mumbai) two cities varied in their cultures and ethos. One common factor that connects them is Music, though of different kinds. Mumbai has for nearly a century remained the bedrock of Hindi film music, while Kolkata is steeped in the work of Tagore (Rabindra Sangeet) and Kazi Nazrul Islam (Nazrul Geethi) 

Indranath Mukherjee in the presentation sought to bind the two by presenting his favorite set of 10 songs which have their inspirations in Bangla songs / compositions. He showcased the work of Tagore, Himangshu Dutta, Sudhin Dasgupta, Nachiketa Ghosh, Nazrul and also the folk influence from which the HFM adapted to their needs of Hindi Films.

​Himangshu Dutta

Once when Salil Chowdhury was asked if Tagore was the father of modern Bengali Music, he replied in the negative. According to Salil, Himangshu Dutta should have been conferred that title. An accomplished singer and composer, Himangshu coincidentally was also born in Comilla the birthplace of S D Burman. A trained classical singer, he also learnt to write notations at a very early age. The two songs chosen by Indranath to showcase Himangshu were. 

• "Soch Ke Ye Gagan Jhoome" from the film "Jyoti".  Himangshu had created this tune in 1950 and was based on the raag- Pushpa Chandrika - one created by Himangshu himself. S D Burman adapted this to create this lilting romantic timeless beauty.
  
• "Piya Milan Ko Jana" from the film "Kapal Kundala".  This rage of the nation Hindi song was originally a Himangshu composition sung by S D Burman. The Bangla song was "Natun Faguney Jabey". Pankaj Mullick adapted this into Hindi. 
  

Nachiketa Ghosh 

A Medical Doctor by qualification, Nachiketa found love in music. Starting in the early 50s, Nachiketa composed predominantly in Bangla and Oriya languages and is considered a versatile and rounded composer. 

Indranath chose a Bangla song which was adapted in Hindi and chose to play both of them back-to-back. The caramelized melody captivated the listeners, many of whom were listening to it for the first time.  

• "Meghla Bhanga Rod Uthechhe" from a non-film Bengali album was sung by Pratima Banerjee which was adapted into .............
  
• ..........."Phulwa Band Mehke" from the film "Hum Bhi Insaan Hain" sung by Geeta Dutt & Suman Kalyanpur for a Hemant Mukherjee composition. 

Kazi Nazrul Islam 

Popularly called the "Bidrohi Kobi" (the Rebel Poet) Nazrul has and continues to have a towering influence in Bengal due to a large body of poetry, music, stories on varied themes like equality, justice, anti-imperialism, humanity and love. His strong opposition to all forms of bigotry and fundamentalism, including religious, caste based and gender-based makes him the popular poet of liberal masses. 

Indranath showcased two of his songs adapted into HFM. 

• "Poocho Na Kaise Maine" from the film "Meri Surat Teri Aankhein" which had its original in the Bangla geet "Arunkanti Ke Go Jogi" a Nazrul Geeti. A contemporary of SD Burman, Nazrul influenced SDB significantly. 
  
• "Roz Akeli Aaye" from the film "Mere Apne" which had its roots in the Nazrul Geet "Meghla Nishi Bhore Monte". The Bangla geet has multiple versions by several singers including one, interestingly, by Asha Bhosle. Interestingly because the Hindi song is sung by Lata Mangeshkar 

Sudhin Dasgupta 

A prolific composer in the Bengali Film Industry, Sudhin is largely credited to having given a modern touch to the orchestration in Bengali film songs. A talented musician who could play several instruments with ease, he graduated from the Royal school of Music, London. Sudhin has composed music for over 50 Bengali films. 

The song that Indranath picked for showcasing Sudhin had an interesting story behind it. He explained that the Bangla song - "Ei Chhaya Ghera Kalo Ratey" which was composed by Sudhin caught the imagination of Salil and he requested Sudhin's permission to adapt this song into Hindi. Thus, was born "Suhana Safar Aur Yeh Mausam Haseen" from "Madhumati" which was played on the show by Indranath 

Rabindranath Tagore 

A Nobel Laurette in Literature, Tagore was a polymath.  A poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, educationist and painter, he is also the writer of the National Anthem of two nations - India and Bangladesh. He is believed to have composed over 2000 songs which today form a part of Rabindra Sangeet 

Indranath's showcase song was "Saawan Ki Raaton Mein" from the film "Prem Patra" . This wonderfully haunting songs with the sounds of the "Toofan" blended with Salil's Western Classical orchestration is a treat to the ears. 


Folk influenced Songs 

• "Gao Mere Mann" from the film "Apne Paraye" draws inspiration from the Baul folk form in Bengal which is rooted in the Vaishnavite religious traditions. Indranath also drew attention to singer Amar Pal who popularized this form. Bappi Lahiri's adaption is so soothing and soulful. 
  
• "Ummed Hogi Koi" from the non-film album "Dil Padosi Hai" is a R D Burman composition. RD has used several of his father's compositions to make his own, However the Bangla inspiration though sung by S D Burman is not composed by SDB. The Bangla song "Katha Kao Dao Saraa" is composed by Subal Dasgupta . This final icing on the cake was served by Indranath to complete his journey from Kolkata to Mumbai 
  

The journey on the Gitanjali express was wonderfully curated by Indranath and a good eyeopener to many in the audiences who may not have had an exposure to Modern Bengali music. Kudos to him for choosing such a theme and walking us through the journey. We stand richer thanks to his insights on tonight's show.