BANGLAAR BHOOMI BAND

Pratik: - kaande sudhu mon, kano kaande re…jakhon sonali rupoli alo, nadir bookey basa bandhey re…

Jennifer: - wow…I do not understand the Bengali lyrics of this song, but the tune is just cool. I like it. Somebody has rightly said that music has no barrier.

Pratik: - Ya, that’s true. It is of a famous Bengali music band, Bhoomi.

Jennifer: - Band song. Hmm…that’s cool. I always have the perception that Bengali people always sing those Rabindrasangeet. But, for the first time I am hearing that Bengal also has some good rock bands.

Arindam: - Not all are rock bands. There are some bands, which believe in singing soft songs with a guitar. The concept of Jeevan Mukhi songs started. From Suman Chattopadhay’s ‘Prathamoto, ami tomake chai, dwityoto, ami tomake chai’, followed by Anjan Dutta’s ‘Chakri taa ami peye gachi bela suncho’ to Nachiketa’s ‘Sey pratham prem amaar Nilanjana’ just transformed the taste of Bengali song. It came as a fresh air for the Bengali music lovers. Then all the Bengali bands like Bhoomi, Chandrabindu, Parash Pathar, Mahiner Ghoraguli, Crosswindz, Fossilz, Miles and others came into the forefront.

Jennifer: - That really sounds great.

Subimal: - Dhurrh, ei gulo ki ekta gaan holo…there was one time in Bengal, where the songs of rhyme that is the ‘Kavi-Gaan’ was famous. If you watch the film ‘Anthony Firingi’, then you will have an idea about that. Those songs were the real songs. Then there was the Baithaki Gaan of Babu Culture. Our Ramkumar Chattopadhay with his classic touchy voice under the jhaarbaati is just superb. If you watch the film Satyajit Ray’s ‘Jalsaghar’ film, then you can feel about the Babu culture of Kolkata. The expression of Chobi Biswas in that film was just unforgettable. What to say about Rabindrasangeet, it is a different class altogether. It is unparallel and unmatched.

Pratik: - Arrey, you just listen to the song of the Chandrabindu band. There you will find the modern ‘Kavi-Gaan’.

Arindam: - I think that the Bhoomi Band is more of a folk song band than a rock band and that is what created a separate brand of this band. If you do a survey, you will find that the Bhoomi band is more popular among the people rather than Chandrabindu. Other rock bands have been able to rule in urban sector only, but Bhoomi band has been able to penetrate in the rural sector also. All of their songs, you will see, are having a folk song touch. Like the songs of ‘Sadher lau, banaibo torey bairagi’, ‘orey pochakaka’, ‘doyel doley patar faakey’, premer gaadi charlo koye jonaaye…yeh gaadi signal maaney naa’, ‘yeh kapal hoy na karo por’ are very popular.

Subimal: - The songs of ‘Barandaye Roddur’ and ‘Kam Sarse’ of Bhoomi band are still the best. Chandrabindu also have some good songs like ‘Mon re’, Mouna Mukharata’. The Guitarists of Fossilz are always at their best.

Pratik: - Bhoomi Band is also popular in USA, boss. During Durga puja festival, there are many Bengali Cultural Committees which request Bhoomi Band to go and perform there. After all, Bengalis living in USA hardly get any chance to hear Bengali folk songs and that too in any live concert.

Jennifer: - Bangla gaan khub bhalo…ami besh bhalobaasshi.

Arindam: - Ei moreche, hey Jennifer, who taught you Bengali?

Jennifer: - Oh! Come on, Bengali is one of the easiest languages of the world. It is very easy to learn Bengali. That is why, Bengali is the 2^nd largest speaking language of the world, after English language. Arindam, can you please give me a .MP3 CD, where I will have the songs of all Bengali bands, especially of “BANGLAAR BHOOMI BAND.”