Bengalis in Bollywood

Movies, Music

Bengalis have always been proud of their tradition, culture and intellect. It is true that there is no dearth of talent in Bengal. But people in Bengal also possess the tendency to over indulge in the feel good factor and in the process become cocooned in their shells. From the time I started understanding concepts like intellect and culture, I found that Bengalis are of the opinion that people in other parts of India are not able to judge them without bias, though every other talent comes out from the soil of Bengal or are Bengalis settled in other states.

Be it in literature, art, music, direction, we can go on citing examples of gems which Bengal has produced. From Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore to  freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose to the Oscar winning Satyajit Ray, the list is endless.  Though they were renowned all across the globe, yet for some reason or the other, their talent was never given its due worth in India. Just like any other Bengali, as I started to grow up, the idea that Bengalis are not properly recognized in India started creeping in my mind. With so many years of nurturing, the idea has become an integral part of me now.

However, in recent times, I feel the trend has changed a bit. For instance, if we take the case of Bollywood cinema and music, we can see that from the beginning itself, the Bengalis have carved a niche for themselves. We have had movie directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee creating masterpieces like Golmaal, Chupke Chupke, Anand, Abhimaan, Rajnigandha, Khoobsuraat, Ek Ruka Hua Faisla and many more. We still have a bunch of talented directors like Pradeep Sarkar, Anurag Basu and Shoojit Sircar making movies worth watching. The Bollywood music scene has been blessed by names like Salil Chowdhury, Hemant Kumar, Manna Dey, Kumar Sanu, Pankaj Mullick, Bappi Lahiri, Shreya Ghosal notwithstanding geniuses like S.D.Burman, R.D.Burman and Kishore Kumar, who boast of the Bengali lineage. The most prominent addition to this list, according to me is Bonnie Chakraborty.

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Splitsvilla2 Theme Music

Music, , , , , , , , ,

I know a lot of peple will be quite surprized to see me writing about something like Splitsvilla2 or anything related to it. It is true that it’s not worth wasting time, writing about something as superficial as a reality television show like Splitsvilla. However, I coouldn’t stop myself from writing about the Theme Music of Splitsvilla2, set to tune by the popular Indian band Agnee.

The very first time I heard the track, I was bowled over by the mesmerizing tune.  Neither it is a song, nor is it absolutely instrumental. The music has a particular tone set in tune. I am sure, whosoever listens to the music will find it extremely haunting. The tune is simple yet touching. The music, in totality, is able to convey a lot of feelings which makes it all the more amazing.  Love, hope, happiness – everything is put across in a very subtle manner. As you listen to the music, you tend to experience certain feelings going through your heart and mind, which are difficult to write in words.

People may be thinking I am crazy as I can write a complete post about the theme music of a tele series, but as I told you, in the very beginning, I am not able to stop myself. I am an ardent music lover. I love good music of all kinds, though I prefer not to listen to the really Hard Rocks. Before this music, I have listened to a couple of songs of Agnee like Sadho Re and Kabira and must say all of them were superb. I loved Sadho Re, especially, as it had all the ingredients of a good song – enchanting tune, superb lyrics and fine voice.  Now, after listening to the Splitsvilla2 theme music, I have become an even more bigger fan of Agnee.  It always feels good when you know that there still exists certain bands which are not trash, who really love music and work hard for offering a good prooduct to the listeners. So, if you want to listen to a music which will definitely touch your heart and take you on a trip, then make sure you listen to the Splitsvilla 2 theme music. For enjoying some more songs of Agnee, you can click here.

Rock Culture and Bengali Rock Bands

Music, , , , , , , , , , ,

MUSIC… Music has always been my love and passion. Right from my childhood days, music has always been an integral part of me. Today, here, I take the opportunity to share my passion for Bengali Band Music with all of you. Bengal is a land of rich literary resource, numerous musical legends and a huge and very active middle class society. The land boasts of a plethora of talents in the cultural sphere including Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The genre of music which was almost absent from the scenario was Rock music. Bengali music first encountered a wave of modernization in the 1970’s. With Mohiner Ghoraguli and their new and experimental genre of music, the new generation of youngsters were encouraged to express their myriad emotions like nostalgia, aggression, pain and anguish more zealously in a common channel. This new trend in the musical sphere at that time did not find many takers. But the credit for the emergence of 500 plus Bangla Rock bands today will definitely be put to Mohiner Ghoraguli. Their alternative form of music was not able to grab the crowd during the 70’s , but they became the visionary for the upcoming bands and gave birth to rock culture in the land.

Today, most popular bands enjoy an advantageous position where their albums sell like hot cakes the moment they hit stores. Band performances are the ‘in-thing’ and draw huge crowds mostly comprising of young school and college students, notwithstanding the age defying music loving uncles and aunties. Bangla music is for everybody. Though there is a surge of very hard rock bands in the recent times, yet most Bangla bands make sure they retain the distinct Bengali flavor in their music in spite of the heavy guitars and drums. It is this blend of western instruments with indigenous lyrics and tunes that imparts Bangla music it’s distinctive charm. Kolkata proudly offers platforms like Nazrul Manch, Someplace Else to cater to the tastes of the hyper active and enthusiastic audience for English and Bengali rock music and also help the bands to showcase their creativity. Pioneering Bands like Chandrabindoo, Cactus, Bhoomi, Fossils,ParashPathor have carved a niche’ for themselves in the Bangla music scenario with their own distinctive style of music and performances. Bangla band music has become the lifeblood for the average Bengali youngsters. One can relate to the music as most of these popular songs portray the life of an average Bengali and his sentiments, his dreams and ambitions, his heartaches and infatuations, his joy and nostalgia, life and death. Various aspects of the society including it’s flaws are also offered to the people in lyrical form. Large segment of Bengalis are immensely inspired by this form of music and are even ready to quit promising careers to the call of their passion. They want to do something exclusive and more meaningful and be an inspiration for the future generations. For that they are ready to defy every impediment coming their way, be it tradition, critics or even cultural limitations.

Music is a medium that transgresses all limits and goes beyond all boundaries. Bengali music was always rich with Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Geeti, songs by Atul Prasad Sen and also Adhunik or modern bengali songs. People dared to think beyond them and experiment with the other genres of music. The bengali bands broke the shackles and gave the audience the taste of rock music. Though most of the bands are influenced by western bands like Pink Floyd, The Doors and musicians like Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Simon and Garfunkel, yet they have succeeded in keeping the distinct bengali touch in their tunes as well as lyrics. Bengali rock bands have come a long way and with a bright future ahead they have the the scope to spread the music far and wide.

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Water – An Enemy

Social Issues, , , , ,

Yes, water can act as an enemy. Yesterday, I saw a tele-serial which dealt with the issue. It was a story of a doctor and her fight, set up on the backdrop of a temple. The doctor witnessed a peculiar trend of people being admitted to her hospital with similar symptoms at a particular point of the week. She found out that people visiting the nearby temple, known for its miracles, and consuming the ‘charanamrita‘ were the ones with the symptoms of the fatal disease. With more probing, she came to the conclusion that the charanamrita water, being polluted, was the main culprit. From here started her fight against superstition and stigma. She tried to convince the management of the temple as also the people, but without any success. She proposed to shut down the temple for a few days in order to clean the water. The management took offense to it. The local system was also of no help. She received a little help from the media initially, but found herself alone at the end. Eventually, she had to give up her life to prove herself correct.

The story, for me, is nothing new. Satyajit Ray, in his movie, Ganashatru made in 1989, has already dealt with the crisis. The phenomenon of people consuming polluted water in a temple and still considering it holy shows how glaring the problem is. In India, Ganges, the holy river has a large number of temples at its banks. As we visit these places of worship, we are alarmed to see the amount of waste floating in the water which people use. Religious fanaticism and superstition do not deter people from referring that water as ‘holy’ and which can cause miracles ! It is understandable in a country where a large segment of the people are illiterate.

The actual problem lies with the management, who take advantage of such superstition and fanaticism. India is a land of temples where many of them have been pronounced as tourist spots. We can actually witness a lot of foreigners thronging here and there along the threshold of the temples and the areas surrounding it. Being a tourist spot the temples draw a huge amount of money as donation. Hence, the management does not want to close a temple for even a single day. Here, comes to the forefront the perils of greed even when the place is on the verge of an epidemic. It is the media which can play an active role in unmasking the voracity of the management during such times. On the contrary, what we generally witness is the collusion of the media and the bureaucracy.

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To Be or Not To Be A Mother !

Personal, , , ,

To become a mother is a dream that almost all women nourish and cherish. From the day of conceiving to the day of delivery to being a first time mother to nurturing a baby to a fully grown person, motherhood is an experience which gives a woman sense of fulfillment. Eastern culture of Western culture, the joys, sorrows and struggles of motherhood remain the same.

However, we also keep on hearing about incidences of abortions, or leaving a baby just after birth and even neglecting a child’s upbringing. There might be several reasons for these incidences, though they are unwarranted. Patriarchy, caste and religion and segregation of people due to them, play a significant role in many such occurrences. Sometimes some unavoidable circumstances also lead to termination of pregnancy, but we are not going to discuss them in this post.

This post is about my friend – a friend who wants to be a mother but is facing opposition for no apparent reasons. My friend married her boyfriend after courtship of nearly 8 years.  There were hiccups regarding the marriage, but their love for each other and their will power had the last laugh. It’s been two years now and they have understood the real meaning of ‘married life’. They never had problems with each other, but things were made difficult by the people surrounding them.  My friend, though somewhat unhappy with her life, found some happiness from the fact that she is going to be a mother. Here, again, she faced the opposition from none other than her in-laws. They are against her pregnancy, for no apparent reasons and even asked her to undergo MTP. This friend of mine, already facing health issues, spent a week or so crying and sobbing, not knowing what to do. Finally, everything was solved when her husband and brother-in-law intervened.

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Human Emotions and Actions – Confusing

Personal, ,

Yes there has been days when I get really confused by the manner in which a person acts or reacts. A couple of days ago I came to the conclusion that even a simple game of Dumb C can evoke so many emotions.

A beginner of the game is utterly confused of how to enact what is given to her! She is also concerned about what others will say about her or her inability to enact her topic properly. This was making things difficult.  Adding to it was the presence of some over-confident people. They were able to properly enact their scenes. It was all right till then. And then they started to make fun of the new person playing.

It may be a playful friendly act, but the effect of it may be somewhat different. Maybe the new player will loose all confidence in him/herself, become all the more embarrassed. When we were kids our parents always taught us not to make fun of anyone’s inability or disability. People like me, sensitive and emotional, do take those words seriously and never resort to mockery or fun to belittle others. At times, mockery and fun with friends, within limits, is good. It actually deepens the friendship. But there are situations when such fun may hurt someone’s ego and confidence.

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A Democracy of Unsubstantial Votes

Politics, , , ,

The General Election in India, in every sense of the term, is a game. It is a game of money and power along with politics. With uncertainties prevailing everywhere and with terrorists taking all measures to disrupt the peace and security of the country, this year the election was seen as a movement for drastic changes.

Every political party as well as the media was of the idea that, with the Mumbai attacks fresh in the mind, people in large number will participate in this years election. There was a mass outcry after the terror attacks on Mumbai. People in large numbers stepped outside of their secure lives at home and held the government responsible for the attacks. The news channels were fighting with each other over getting the maximum TRP’s by providing every possible detail, which were best avoided under such a situation. Celebrities were all over the places, putting forth their views and candlelight vigil became a random sight. So, the general election was thought to be the place where all these angry and disillusioned people will make use of their democratic right to give India a better future. The actual outcome showed a different picture. In Mumbai the voting percentage, surprisingly decreased by 3%. In the 2004 elections, the participation of the citizens of Mumbai was 47%. This year it was a mere 44%. On the whole, it was quite a dismal show throughout India after the first three rounds of voting.

Now my question lies, what happened to all the people who retorted the words “Enough is Enough”. Voting is your democratic right and is best when majority of the people exercise it. Whether you like politics or not, it is the base of any country. You can create a hullabaloo when a crisis situation occurs, but when you can do your share to stop such situations, you simply ignore it. Excuses galore for absenteeism in elections and one such is the weather and the heat wave. Here I want to put forth that my mother, who is at the wrong side of 60 with several health issues, was concerned how will she go out and vote in this extreme weather. I, being more concerned about her health, told her not to strain herself. In case of this extreme weather, it is better to avoid going out, at least at her age. But then what she told me can be an eye opener for a lot of people. For her it is more of a moral issue, when you have the right of voting why abstain from it? It’s only a matter of couple of hours of difficulties which afterwards gives you the pleasure of doing your bit for the country. How I wished the people across the length and breadth of the country shared similar feelings!

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