Kolkata: The lovers of folk music now have reason to rejoice. Now, one can choose and listen to their favorite and even rare folk numbers, at any time from a repository of 3,000 such songs.
Folks of Bengal is available at Google Play store and can be installed on Android phones. The app has been prepared by banglanatak.com.
It may be mentioned that after coming to power in 2011, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken up schemes to help folk artistes. Many folk artistes had decided to leave the vocation because of financial constraints. Now, they are getting monthly stipend and are given programmes. Banerjee also gives musical instruments to them as a mark of respect.
Banglanatak.com is associated with a multitude of exponents, representing several genres of folk music of Bengal and their repertoire. It has been quite an arduous but heartening and immensely enriching journey.
Based on the partnership with about 5,000 folk musicians in Bengal including traditional musicians like Baul, Bhawaiya, Bhatiyali, Jhumur and urban folk musicians, banglanatak.com has carried out in-depth study of the traditional music and has done both studio and field recordings, facilitated a lot of collaborations and these collections have translated into a modestly voluminous archive of folk music.
The folk artistes have got worldwide recognition. A four-member Baul music team led by Rina Das
Baul performed at Armor festival in Brittany, France in May. Swarna
Chitrakar of Pingla showcased Patachitra at UNESCO HQ in Paris in June. Another five-member folk music team participated at the
Smithsonian Folk Life festival, Washington.
A four-member team led by Debalina Bhowmick will be performing in Salfoldi Dalfold Festival in Hungary on July 7.
A 12-member folk music and dance team led by Biren Kalindi of Purulia will be performing in Karlsruhe Summer Festival in Germany, on July 14-15.
A five-member Chhau dance team and Chhau mask makers led by Jagannath Chowdhury of Purulia have been invited at Transform Festival in Trondheim in Norway from on October 1 to 6.