One song at a time - 32. Aaj jyotsna raatein
(Komal Gandhar)
Late one night I was watching Ritwik Ghatak's movie, 'Komal Gandhar'. Probably the only 'light' movie in Ghatak's oeuvre. The songs which happened till then were good and that was expected in a Ghatak movie. His sense of music is impeccable. Then this song happened, which left a deeper impact than the other songs. It was a stunning discovery. (Buddha gained knowledge sitting under the bhodi tree. For me it has almost always been sitting in front of the TV late in night after everyone has gone to sleep.)
A drama troupe is in some forest type of area and a few of them clapping hands start singing a folk song. Just as they sing a line, their song is interrupted by a female voice cutting through the night. And it cut itself a place in my heart. An absolutely minimal orchestration accompanies the song. The song is carried purely by the tune and the voice which delivers the tune. And what a tune it is. Dripping melody in every line, conveying clearly the longing of the singer. The voice adds it own sweetness to the song. I love the way Ghatak picturised it. The night time, the forest, a river running close by and this voice from nowhere. Don't worry about the actions of the actors in the scene. That has more to do with the movie but just observe the atmosphere and how well the song merges into the scene.
I then started researching on the song. I came to know that this is a famous Rabindra Sangeeth song. Gurudev Tagore must have tuned this. I couldn't find out who the singer was. In case any of you reading this has a idea of who the singer is, please let me know. The video contains the translation of the song. So you will clearly understand what I am talking about in terms of atmosphere and longing when you see the video.
Here the same Rabindra Sangeeth song is sung by Indrani Sen. Wonderful rendition.
Comments
Thanks for ur Nice Write up.
Nice no..
Olden days songs - Reflects the period, culture, situtation,
Perfect Feelings and the Expressions..
These are the Beauty of the Olden nos.
Thank u Once again Suresh.
With Love,
Usha Sankar.
What you say is very correct. It captures the period and culture very well. The whole movie does that in an amazing fashion.
Haven't heard too much of Rabeendra Sangeeth. Need to rectify this situation soon. But there are many more musical situations that I need to rectify and so little time:(
I always thought that this was a love song (somebody pining for the beloved who is away), perhaps it is. But possibly it was a father who was pining for his dead son.
I'll try to link the rendition by Debabrata Biswas, my favorite one. :)
Thanks for the comment. I too read about this song being composed by Tagore for his son. Did not know that his son had died. Still I feel this is a love song.
Do give a link to Debarata's rendition and also let us know who are the masters when it comes to Rabindra Sangeet. I would be interested in listening to them. You recommendation on artists and also on particular songs is most welcome.
From the sound of the voice and the style of singing, it seems the singer is Sumitra Sen.