Anandabazar On-line Bochhorer Greatest 2022 – The story behind Rupam Islam’s track from the Vedas

A musical milestone was etched in Kolkata the opposite night time. A rockstar sang a couple of bhajans topped with a Vedic hymn. It was as if Eric Clapton riffed via Abide With Me at a live performance in Las Vegas or Neil Younger strummed to The Lord’s Prayer.

So gobsmacked was the viewers on the Anandabazar On-line Bochhorer Greatest 2022 at seeing Rupam Islam emerge from darkness and invoke common values of concord and fact with Sangachhadwam that for some time it forgot to applaud the opening act of the occasion, an annual celebration of achievers each recognized and unsung.

Now, days after the present on the ITC Royal, Rupam says he is overwhelmed on the response he has acquired for that efficiency. And never simply because it’s an uncommon selection of songs for somebody who is basically a front-of-stage rock singer/songwriter with an enormous following in Bengal and neighbouring Bangladesh. However extra for the way by which he made accessible these conventional anthems related to solemn prayer conferences and rendered them appropriate for an award perform with out diluting their important teachings.

“Sangachhadhwam samvadadhwam samvo manaan sijaanataam.” Amid a cushion of hovering keyboards, simply because the Vedic hymn extolling the virtues of the purest type of human values is about to take flight, it segues right into a bhajan in adulation of Lord Rama. “Jaya jayati jaya Raghuvansha bhushan Ram arajiva lochanam”

“Wherever I’ve been going lately, individuals have been telling me how they’ve been overwhelmed by the medley,” reveals Rupam throughout a phone-in with The Telegraph On-line. He appears happy with the tip end result though he had had apprehensions initially. “Each credit score for this goes to editors at Anandabazar On-line for giving me the arrogance,” he says.

It began with a name Rupam acquired. The thought was fairly totally different initially. It was about reimagining the hit track Naatu Naatu with Bangla lyrics and an elevated sense of aesthetics. Then Rupam added one other track, merely so as to add weight to the setlist. Quickly, one other musical aspect was added to infuse the thought of custom because the constructing blocks of the long run. This, nonetheless, gave start to a contemporary concern. How you can marry two units of songs of broadly totally different genres?

Over to Rupam Islam on how it began, the efficiency for which he needed to mine singing expertise he acquired at childhood and what’s he as much as lately.

TTOnline: Take us via the journey of you acting at Anandabazar On-line Bochhorer Greatest 2022.

Rupam Islam: The primary proposal from Anandabazar On-line was to do a Bengali interpretation of the track Naatu Naatu with a way of sophistication to take it to a better aircraft. I discovered it extraordinarily difficult since I wasn’t drawn to the track in any respect. Anyway, I did hearken to the track. And I instantly acquired my refrain. ‘Bhabo Bangali, Bangali, Bangali…’ This line got here to me at first hear.

How?

Some magic occurred, the type that always occurs with artistic of us like us. I at all times latch on to the concept that comes first. And I realised that I might be capable of do that. So, I referred to as the editors of Anandabazar On-line and informed them that whereas I might be capable of pull off their temporary, doing just one track wouldn’t be worthwhile. I stated I might additionally create a Bengali model of Jai Ho, one other Indian track, that additionally received an Oscar. I knew I may do it as I had listened to this track earlier.

How did the devotional songs are available in?

Since this was meant to be a particular efficiency, I assumed I ought to do four-five songs to do justice to the occasion. So the editors requested me if I may additionally do a choice of conventional tunes, say a track or two based mostly on Sanskrit shlokas or the Vedas. I stated sure. Since I’ve been skilled in singing such songs, I may at all times work on a efficiency centred round this. However the query is how would I hyperlink the 2?

So, what did you do?

I ready a demo of each the units and made the editors hearken to it. They cherished it. It was then determined that the primary set, comprising Sangachhadwam and the bhajans, Jaya Jayathi Raghuvansha Bhushan and Tuma Karata Daatha Bidhata, can be carried out initially of the present. Their thought was to carry out the primary few strains of the opening track, Sangachhadwam, in darkness to maintain the viewers guessing who was singing on stage. Then progressively, the stage would gentle as much as reveal that it’s certainly me singing.

How did you put together to current Sangachhadhwam?

I had not sung the Vedic hymn earlier than, however I knew it fairly nicely. As a baby I had heard my mom singing the track and educating her college students — she was assistant headmistress of a faculty the place she was accountable for all cultural programmes. My mom used to additionally sing one other track from the Vedas, Tamis Swaranam. So, I’ve at all times been conversant in these devotional songs.

And the bhajans?

I knew the bhajans from my pupil days at Banichakra [a music school of Kolkata that is a rite of passage for any musically inclined youngster]. I used to be there for round 4 years. And I learnt to sing all types of songs. I used to do very nicely there. I was ranked first yearly. My coaching in music was at all times centred round such conventional, semi-classical songs.  

Sandhya Mukhopadhay has additionally sung Jaya Jayathi Raghuvansha Bhushan.

Sure, I knew Sandhya Mukhopadhyay nicely. She used to love my songs and used to name me ‘bhai’. She has seen certainly one of my on-line concert events. Sadly, she has left us. In any other case, possibly I might have been in a position to convey her to certainly one of our concert events. However I’ll at all times rue the truth that I couldn’t sing this bhajan for her. Additionally, you already know, this wasn’t the primary time I carried out Jaya Jayathi.  I’ve achieved it in my solo reveals. It was an easier association with solely my guitar as accompaniment. And I devoted it to Sandhya Mukhopadhay.

You talked about singing classes at Banichakra. However you could have been singing on stage from a really younger age?

Sure, once I was all of 4. I went up on stage with my dad and mom’ group, Jhankar Shilpi Goshthi, and performed a percussion instrument. They have been to carry out and I insisted that I be allowed to go up on stage too. So, they purchased me a maracas with which I acquired to do one rehearsal. Thoughts you I had solely acquired the instrument the night time earlier than and learnt the way to play it alone. Within the course of I invented a very new model of enjoying the shaker — my method to it was sort of just like enjoying the tabla.

What do you bear in mind of your first look on stage?

Because it was darkish, and I couldn’t see the viewers, I bear in mind going as much as the sting of the stage to attempt to spot my Dida (grandmother) who was within the viewers. Typically, individuals speak of my showmanship. I imagine it was born that night time.

At present, Rupam is a sprightly man nearing 50, however wanting at the least 20 years youthful. Common train to Brit pop retains him match. A busy schedule warranted by the a number of avatars he nurtures retains him going. There are a lot of Rupams at play right here: faculty trainer Rupam, rockstar Rupam, “Ekok (solo)” Rupam, Fossils Rupam, playback Rupam, TV Rupam, podcaster Rupam, editor Rupam (Bangla Rock Journal). Add to that author Rupam, the creator of seven extremely profitable books, two of that are based mostly on the adventures of his fictional creation, Brahma Thakur, a “psychiatrist with a darkish previous”. Now, he’s within the midst of wrapping up Thakur’s newest exploits for a Bangla web site.    

Rupam works quick. He’s a artistic Ninja. He wanted solely a web page to write down Bangla lyrics for Naatu Naatu. All of it in a single go, with barely two adjustments earlier than recording it. Lately, he put 9 songs to tune (for a play) in about three hours flat. All this with an unnerving sense of confidence — “…really nothing is not possible for me.”

That’s why maybe he stated sure to Bochhorer Greatest. It’s been every week or so since he sang, rising on stage from darkness. But many who have been there should still be buzzing Sangachhadwam, a tune we at all times knew however have left far behind. Some could have even questioned how far we now have all come.

“Could we march ahead with a standard aim. Could we be open-minded and work collectively in concord”.