Join Ruchira on DifferentTruths.com as she recounts and reviews a mesmerising Tagore music evening in Delhi featuring Srikanta Acharya.

That Wednesday evening gone by held a huge, delightful surprise for all the Delhi NCR folks who perennially worship and eulogise Tagore. The month could not be more appropriate either. Baishe Srabon (roughly coinciding with the 7th or 8th of August) marks the day of Tagore’s exodus to a better world. Interestingly, the following morning—eighty-five years ago—almost all the major Bengali newspapers reported in a tone of mourning that the Sun (eponymous with Rabi, the poet)had set forever; in other words, the Sun’s effulgence was eclipsed by dense, dark clouds of gloom and deep melancholy.

Back to the event in question, the legendary vocalist and Rabindra Sangeet exponent Srikanta Acharya flew down to the National Capital from his native Kolkata. Acharya requires no introduction at this point in time. An alumnus of the renowned Dakshinii School of Music in Kolkata, Acharya rose to prominence during the mid-1990s. Acharya also mastered the art of tabla playing under the tutelage of Ustad Ali Ahmed Khan. This was another feather in his cap, to put it another way. Currently, Rabindra Sangeet is his speciality, although he occasionally explores other music genres, excelling in each.

The event took place at the plush Stein Auditorium in the prestigious India Habitat Centre located in South Delhi. The musical extravaganza took place under the auspices of Impressario India, a prestigious club and a prominent centre for culture, particularly Tagore culture, that has been active in the Capital for many decades.

Acharya has been one of our family’s mutually favourite crooners down the decades. Attending a live performance by him is truly a rare privilege. Dressed in a bright yellow kurta and a pair of dark-coloured trousers, Srikanta appeared completely at ease as he sang one song after another while informally engaging with the audience. He began his performance with one of my favourite songs from the monsoon category, “Gahana ghana chhailo gagan ghanaiya,” which describes the dense clouds in the sky that are accompanied by intense flashes of lightning and thunderclaps.

Appropriately included in the list was Jetay 2 ekla pothe nibheche more baati (a strong gust of wind blew out my lamp; yet I must continue to surge forward with the howling storm as my companion). Or consider this highly spiritual yet romantic line: “Je raate mor duar guli bhanglo jhawre” (translation: The protagonist lay in deep slumber when the lover/Lord entered his abode, whose doors had been battered by the raging storm that raged all night long). It was on the following morning that the humble speaker discovered the Lord’s august presence amidst the ruins. Naturally, he was overwhelmed beyond measure.  

Acharya continued to create the perfect ambience for a solemn Sraban Sandhya (bleak monsoon evening) with “Aaji jhawrer raate tomar obhisaar paran sakha (On this stormy night I am ready for a rendezvous with you, O lord of my life). This song gained popularity after being featured in Aparna Sen’s feminist flick Sonata.

It would be rather unfair to overlook yet another highly romantic (read: intimate) song presented that evening, “Emono Dine Taare Bola Jaaye”. (An amorous couple is safely ensconced in a room while incessant rain pours outside and the skies are cloud-laden. It is the perfect moment for them to open their hearts to one another and gaze into each other’s eyes in profound silence.

Overall, the evening was mesmerising, and we look forward to another similar, scintillating performance by the maestro.

Photo sourced by the reviewer

Ruchira Adhikari Ghosh

Ruchira Adhikari Ghosh brings a liberal, wide-ranging outlook shaped by extensive travel across India and abroad. Educated at Holy Child School, New Delhi, Sacred Heart Convent, Ludhiana, and Panjab University, Chandigarh, she holds a Master’s in English Literature and a postgraduate diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. With three decades in media, she writes on travel, books, music, performing arts, women’s issues, and especially food, drawing inspiration from rich life experiences. She is our Features Editor.