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Enchantment of word and music

Akhtar Husain Khan enthuses about a new publication
Professor Nurul Anwar's book on Tagore songs is a welcome and exceptional addition to the abundance of publications that have been coming out during the Ekushey Boi Mela of 2012. Published by Anindya Prokash, Rabindranather Gaan (Songs of Tagore) deserves more plaudits for its coming out during the final months of the year-long 15O'h birthday celebration of arguably the greatest son the Bengalispeaking world has ever produced.
This nearly six-format volume in Bengali is not a large-sized book as such, and others outside this country have written more gigantic volumes. But as one goes through it, one finds that all the major issues that would involve a discussion on Tagore songs have been covered in its 93 pages. Born in Mymensingh and a teacher at the Bangladesh Agriculture University for 36 years (1973-2009), Dr Anwar has been an avid follower of Tagore songs and cricket all his life. He was an executive member of the Bangladesh Cricket Board for a decade (1981-1990) and a founding member of the Jatiyo Rabindrasangeet Sammelan Parishad. It is no wonder he finds both cricket and Rabindranath inseparable from his life and very few would disagree with his assertion that Tagore songs are the pinnacle of Bengali culture, an epithet he has used as a subtitle of his book.
The nine chapters of the book are, in English rendering,: Pre-Tagore Hundred Years: Promotion of the Culture of Music in Bengal, Songs of Rabindranath: Nectar of the Arts, Tagore Songs: Contemplation, Creation, Class and Style, Songs of
Rabindranath: Realm of Enchantment of Word and Music, The World Inside Music, Poetic Music and Tagore Songs, 'I Did But Sing..1, Shailajaranjan: Reminiscence and Homage and Wahidul Haq: Tagore Songs at the Grassroots.
There are four appendices at the end of the book that will be priceless for serious people in the business, like teachers and students of Tagore songs. They find out the link of 234 of the Tagore songs to their original foreign tune and their Ragas, a list of twenty of the songs whose music was
composed by his elder brother Jyotirindranath Tagore, names of the exponents who had graduated from the Sangeet Bhaban of Shantinikatan during the period Shailajaranjan was the principal there and another list of the books of notation made and edited by Shailajaranjan. These are testimony enough that this book in its brief space has become a very functional and handy edition for everybody — ordinary listeners like us and the more serious followers of Tagore songs.
The first two chapters provide a historical guide to the hundred years of music in Bengal prior to Tagore and how it was done in the Jorasanko house of the Tagores, the nerve-centre of Calcutta's cultural life in the nineteenth century. The third chapter mentions among other things, and importantly, Tagore's 24-year long association with Shiiaidaha in Kushtia and its influence on not only his poetry and music through his bond with the haul tradition and Lalon Shah, but also on his thoughts on education, development and humanity. Anwar makes clear his aversion to cash incentive and wealth driving the culture of Tagore songs and he is ready to wait for a civilised society where song and music will find their true fulfilment.
The next three chapters touch on the excellence of word and music in Tagore songs, a discussion on the Ragas of the songs and on how much of poetry these songs are. A small chapter thereafter deals with the teaching and style of Tagore songs wherein he does not hide his
resentment at the distortion of style. The intellectual level of the teachers engaged in the trade has also come up for the axe.
He reminds us that Tagore's first identity is that he is a poet. Therefore when he says Tagore created literature when he wrote songs is the prime truth. And few will disagree with him when he says Gitabitan, that comprehensive collection of Tagore songs, is the supreme single piece in the great poet's literary arsenal. And he quotes Tagore to underline the point:' I have loved this earthly life and its people. I leave behind this love knotting it in the music of my songs. If man remembers me, they will do it through these songs' or elsewhere.' Maybe people could forget everything of mine, but they would never be able to throw away my songs.'
One of the snags of the book — and it is not the author's own making, but embedded in our history — is that a dilettante might be confused by the word ’ Bangladesh'. Except in one or two places, this word in the book has meant the whole of pre-1947 Bengal, whether in quotes or in use by the author. Could we use GanoPrajatantri Bangladesh (Peoples Republic of Bangladesh) orPurbo Banga/ Bangla in such cases. Besides, the long quotations from Waheedul Haq's writings might disturb the tranquil reading of a book so much concerned with the blissful art of Tagore songs, and not politics. We hope this lovely book will run into many more editions in the coming days.
AKHTAR HUSAIN KHAN IS A FORMER SECRETARY, GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH.