Melodies of memories

Anupam Roy was in Bengaluru at the office, when a tune struck him. Desperate for his guitar, he concocted an excuse to leave and rushed home. Just as he sat down to write, the power went out. He felt irritated. Uncertain when the power would return, he began writing ‘Gobhire Jao’ in the dark. The song captures many personal moments with lines like ‘Bohu bochor mekhechi rupor bali, Sei rupor lobhe bari fera jabe roshatol, Ar bheja shorir chora shrote kamre dhore jol… Tai gobhire jao aro gobhire jao’. “My work in Bengaluru was in electronics, focusing on semiconductor devices where silicon, found in silica sand, is crucial. This experience found its way into the song apart from my personal emotions,” said one of the most sought-after singer-songwriters and composers in the Bengali music industry on World Music Day. Years later, the song was used in Srijit Mukherji’s ‘Baishe Srabon’ and became a chartbuster.

Bengaluru will always be dear to Anupam. He lived there before he started his career as a musician. Most of his songs, like ‘Je kota din’ from ‘Baishe Srabon’ (2011), have a connection to Bengaluru. He wrote this song during his time there in 2007-2008. Later, he changed some lyrics to fit the movie’s story, but the song originally came from his personal space.

Every song has a story. Some come from personal experiences, while others are born from spontaneous inspiration or professional obligations. In Anupam’s case, his songs mostly stem from personal stories. Sometimes, he adjusts verses or lyrics while retaining the essence of his original inspiration.

Like the song ‘Tumi jake bhalobasho’ from ‘Praktan’, which brought Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta back to the big screen after 14 years, holds a personal connection for Anupam. Written in 2010, Anupam describes its backstory as ‘very personal’. “In my case, directors like Srijit Mukherji, Kaushik Ganguly and Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay often hear my songs during informal meets. The song was supposed to be used by Srijit da, but it didn’t match any projects he had in development at the time. Later, Shibu da used it in ‘Praktan’,” said Anupam, who remembers making a small adjustment to one stanza for the film.

The same film had another hit track, ‘Kolkata tumio hete dekho Kolkata’. Unlike ‘Tumi jake bhalobasho’, this song was actually an assignment for Anupam from Shiboprosad who wanted a song celebrating the city. Anupam, although familiar with Kolkata, hadn’t taken any city walking tours like the lead character Ujaan (played by Prosenjit) in ‘Praktan’. “One day, I was in my car near Prince Anwar Shah Road, when a tune popped into my head as I was heading home. I used to live in Behala at the time. By the time I reached home and stepped into the lift, the chorus had already formed in my mind and I wrote the song as soon as I entered the house,” he smiled.

Right now, the song ‘Ajyogo Aami’ from Prosenjit and Rituparna-starrer ‘Ajogyo’ is really popular. Anupam remembers when director Kaushik Ganguly approached him last year for the film’s music, he played several songs, including an early version of ‘Ajyogo Aami’. Back then, the song had different lyrics and didn't include the word ‘Ajyogo’. “Kaushik da liked the tune a lot. So, I rewrote the song to fit the film’s story. This song isn’t personal to me. I was more concerned about the tune than the words when I initially composed it,” he said.