When Kaveree Bamzai (from New India Express) asked me   "...so how important is poetry and music, especially at a time like this, you talked about 1978, the civil rights movement..we are not in the best of times today as well, how important is music and poetry at this time?" I replied "For me, these two taken together is one the few sources of sustenance, but the question is much larger than me.." I then talked about our folk forms, their creative as well as subversive potentials and sang a song of Fakir Madan Shah. Here is part of the panel discussion (I had previously spoken about Teejan Bai, her kind of Pandavani, Mahabharata's interpretation etc briefly)

Amar Poth Dheikyase Mandire Masjide

A boatman's song where a young boatman asks the elder 'chacha' (uncle) to convey his gratitude to chacha's wife as Allah has promoted him to the stern where he can row and not perform the difficult task of pushing the log.

A traditional river song from Eastern Bengal sung by the legendary folk singer Hemango Biswas.

Selam Chacha

Padma kou kou

Mon Kande Padmar Parer Laigya

Hemanga da teaching his students, a Bihu song with its explanations. Recorded in the year 1985 in the classes. It is uploaded from my personal collection.The adjacent picture is also from my personal collection.

SEE, HOW AFFECTIONATE WAS HIS TEACHINGS.

-A humble tribute to my teacher on his birthday (14th December)

Amar Poth Dheikyase Mandire Masjide

Rongili Biswas

Related tracks