Page 44 - Seniorstoday April 2022 Issue

In the 20th century, Shah Abdul Karim, popular singer Lopamudra said older styles
Bhaba Pagla and Purna Das Baul carried like Rabindra Sangeet and folk music will
the tradition forward. Paban Das Baul and always have an audience among the older
Parvathy Baul are among the known names generation. “However, during the past three
today. years, I have noticed that modern songs have
Bhatiali: It is a form of folk music found reduced in popularity, and even the quality
both in West Bengal and Bangladesh. It is a has dropped. Film music was gaining for a
river song sung mostly by boatmen, and is while, till it was affected by the lockdown,”
thus heard mostly in the delta region. The she said.
lyrics use metaphors evolving around rivers
and water, and talk of the lives of boatmen
and their families.
Shyama Sangeet: This is a genre of
Hindu devotional songs dedicated to
goddess Shyama and Kali. The songs
describe the bond between mother and Other genres have been popular too.
child. They are free of common rituals of Classical musicians like vocalist Bade
worship and the practice of tantra. The late Ghulam Ali Khan, sitar maestros Ustad
Pannalal Bhattacharya was known for his Vilayat Khan and Pandit Nikhil Banerjee,
contribution to this form of music. sarod great Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and
Jhumur: This is an ancient form of folk flautist Pandit Pannalal Ghosh have spent
song, and if often accompanied by dance. time in Calcutta in the early part of their
Many songs are based on the story of Radha career. Established in 1952, the Dover Lane
and Krishna. Originating in West Bengal, Music Conference has been one of the major
it also spread to the border regions of classical music festivals in the country.
Bangladesh.
Over the past two decades, many singers
have focused on the modern or ‘adhunik”
songs category. Established artistes like
Lopamudra, Anupam Roy, Anjan Datta,
Nachiketa, Srikanto Acharya, Kabir Suman,
Jayati Chakraborty, Iman Chakraborty
and Rupankar Bagchi have their own fan
following, whereas Hindi playback singers
Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal and Arijit Singh
keep recording Bengali songs.
At the same time, older legends like the late
Suchitra Mitra, Shyamal Mitra, Debabrata
Biswas, Sandhya Mukherjee and Hemant
Kumar continue to be heard by the senior
generation. Arati Mukherjee has a following
among different generations.
In an earlier interview with this writer,

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