Wednesday 11 May 2011

Rabindra Sangeet


A Tradition
Training is a must for anybody who wishes to learn something. Hence training is an integral part of human life from the childhood. The excellence of a person depends on the richness of the training he is subjected to. The mode of training may differ with the change of language spoken in, geographical boundaries and various other factors, but from our experience it is certain that people would select him who is better trained. We call this tradition.
In Bengal a child is never encouraged for the first time to recite ‘Jete pari kintu keno jabo…’ at the age of four. ‘Kumor parar gorur gari…’ seems more appropriate for that age. Why? Mainly because we are habituated to that. That has been our tradition since a long time.
The richness of a tradition depends on mainly on two factors, how efficient is the tradition and how old is that. An efficient tradition gains with the time it has been practiced. It even may earn the classical status after a considerable time period, say two hundred years. On every sphere of culture one can notice the level of maturity of traditions being enhanced. Hence in music, literature, dance what is called classical are all not only beneficial, they are being practiced for a long time. In fact they are the basis of all the things that are in force in recent times.
Songs of Rabindranath are our tradition that is being cherished for about sixty to seventy years. It is not too long, but for class they reflect a very degree of philosophical, lyrical and musical excellence and also their application. Those are the wonders which in fact elevated the position of Bengali music and literature to National as well as to the global level. The unfathomable depths of the verses along with the musical interpretations have mesmerized everyone who had wished to gauge the distinctiveness of Rabindra Sangeet. We need to protect it, protect it from siltation, protect it from being adulterated. The dream of the legend must be carried forward with its full grandeur, exception and valor. We need to promote Rabindra Sangeet to the classical level.