Classic Bengali songs ring in nostalgia at city pandals
KOLKATA: This Puja, the city isn't reverberating with the beats of 'dhaks' alone.
Even the fast-paced contemporary numbers seemed to have found their competitors from the bygone era at a number of city pandals this year.
Amid the cacophony of a bustling city—caught in a festive frenzy—the Puja organisers have melodious offerings from yesteryears to sooth the ears of Covid-weary revelers.
Most of the organisers are playing old Bengali basic songs, which were a part of the tradition more than five decades back.
From Hemanta Mukherjee to Salil Choudhury, this Puja is all about taking a trip down the memory lane and rejoicing over the nostalgic voices and verses of the legends.
The non-film songs called the basic discs had become an integral part of Durga Puja for generations. HMV used to bring out a magazine Sharad Arghya, where the songs along with the composers and artistes were given and it had become a part of Bengali culture to buy the basic discs like new clothes and shoes.
In CA and CB blocks in New Town, the organisers chose to play the immortal songs composed by Salil Chowdhury and sung by Hemanta Mukherjee.
'Runner and Kono Ek Gayer Bodu' were released before the Puja in 1951 and 1948. There were other songs like 'Shono Kono Ek din', 'Amay Prasna Kore Nil Dhrubotara', 'Ami Jharer kache', 'Duronto Ghurnir' and 'Dur noy beshi dur sajano sajano badhano ghater pare', which had become very popular more than 60 years back, were also played to stir up the nostalgia.
Two songs sung by Manna Dey in the early 1970s, which had become Puja hits, namely 'Sundari go dohai dohai man koro na' and 'eto raag noy go eje abhiman', were also being played.
Songs sung by Pratima Banerjee like 'Tomar deoa anguriyo' and Manabendra Mukherjee like' Mayur pankhi ratero nile' amused the youngsters.
In Muktadal, old Bengali numbers will be played on all four days of the Puja. Swapan Chakraborty, one of the organisers said: "After the cassettes disappeared from the markets, it became difficult to follow the old songs. Now, they are available digitally."
