I got to read the original Bengali version of a recent interview with
Anupam Roy in the newspaper (?) Ebela (I happened to read it online).
Since it was all in Bengali and isn't available outside Bengal (unless
you're an e-reader of the paper), I figured it would be good to share it
in a translated-to-English version just to let other non-Bengali fans
and those who're not very proficient with the language enjoy the read
too....I am reproducing the original interview here in a translated
English version and have no ownership over it. Its not my work. Also, Im
not a 100% correct in the language, so please do forgive me if I
haven't been able to write it properly.
If you would like to read the online original Bengali version of the same, please click here
In a market that's going downward, he doesn't fear coming out with a
single! Not a music director, he calls himself a 'poet' (I translated
this from the Bengali word 'kobiyaal' and felt this is what it means,
please correct me if I'm wrong.) After 'Dwitiyo Purush', Anupam Roy
speaks with Sangveta Chakravarty.
He was busy in recording. The moment he heard of the interview, the
first thing he wanted to know was 'how long will it take?' When I told
him half an hour, he said, 'then let's go ahead and begin. Good if it's
over, else will again catch up later.' The album Dwitiyo Purush, the
singer-music director debate, love - an 'open' and free Anupam about all
this on the pages of 'Obela'.
First I'd like to know about 'Dwitiyo Purush.' What kind of songs does it have? Dwitiyo Purush has 10 songs. They're mainly based around romance,
love. It's difficult to typecast the songs. The songs are similar to the
kind of songs I generally do. They are written by me, and the music
too. READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE
It's been quite a while that Anupam Roy's first album 'Doorbine Chokh
Rakhbo Na' came out and smashed the charts! Of course it doesn't need to
be mentioned all over again that the album was welcomed by fans of his
music everywhere, not just in Bengal, and after much searching and
waiting and searching and still waiting, I too managed to order a copy
online.
But it's been a long time now and everyone was waiting for the second
round of music to be released. And as if this is what Anupam Roy and the
entire gang of The Anupam Roy Band was waiting for, there couldn't have
been a better date for Anupam to release his second album as a gift to
his fans - the album titled 'Dwitiyo Purush' releases this Valentine's
Day, that is 14th Feb 2013. The album has 10 tracks.
Anupam Roy and the entire team of The Anupam Roy Band will meet with fans tomorrow for the launch celebrations in Kolkata.
Venue: City Center 2 at 5pm Venue: City Center 1 at 6pm
It's going to be a meet and greet and NOT a live performance.......
Go on, pick up the latest album now and catch a glimpse of the man himself along with his amazing band!!!!!
The Ganesh Talkies Mad Hatters - Nabarun Bose, keyboards and Ronodeep Bose, guitar
YES! The winners of the Converse Original Band Hunt 2012 is Ganesh Talkies.
The event, held at Bandra Fort, Mumbai, on the 16th of Dec 2012 night, and judged by prominent names like Parikrama, Luke Kenny and Monica Sharma Dogra , the event saw bands entering the contest from all over the country, with the final 4 winners being chosen from the 4 zones and coming together for a grand evening of performance and cheering at the Bandra Fort.
As Ganesh Talkies came up on the stage, it was evident from their costume what their theme was - DISCO! Dressed in blingy dazzlers of gold and silver, the band, the only one that had a female in it by the way, gyrated and danced and sang and rocked to some interesting beats and tunes and lyrics, ensuring the audience had a gala time!
It was exactly 5pm when I closed the door and put the key in
my bag. It was a humid evening in Kolkata, but I wasn’t perspiring from the
hide-n-seek of the rain. As I walked down the now-familiar path from the local
guest house where I love to stay sometimes, hiding away from the crowd and the
faces, I hailed the yellow cab and headed to that so-looked-forward spot, and
that oh-so-dreading now place! As the Kolkata buildings and streets started to
whizz past, I could feel the butterflies in my tummy…oh no..why was I doing
this? Could I still run back?
It was the Anupam Roy concert at Rabindra Sadan in Kolkata and
I had travelled all the way from Mumbai only for this one evening. I had
arrived alone after a 32-hour train journey to the city, and after the concert,
was due to fly out the next morning. A cross-country journey, alone, to first
time see that man perform live, whose music happened to change my life so
significantly – was I being silly?
If anything else, I was sure this was all
worth it.
As I entered the green room I was nervous. Of course it wasn’t
green, but a wooden feel space with the typical light-bulbs around the mirrors
that we’ve seen so many times in movies. Trust me, it gives quite a feel!
I immediately
scanned the room and could see that Anupam was still not there. Instead, there
was a live current going on, pre-concert. The entire gang comprising the Anupam
Roy band was there - Nabarun Bose (keyboards and background vocals), Sandipan
Parial (drums), Roheet Mukherjee and Ronodeep Bose (guitar) and Rana Singharoy
and Raja, who manage and look after the entire smooth functioning of the band. Just
a few minutes and we were off chatting and singing and fooling around. But my
mind was really quite elsewhere.
How does it feel when you are standing right there
where you are about to meet that voice that you’ve been listening to for so
long? The voice that told you so many things your heart always kind of knew,
but really couldn’t say. Exciting, scary, nervous, confused, shy, tongue-tied,
ready to run out the door – just a few feelings that were racing through my
entire ‘nervous’ system.
And then……………………….
(* with Anupam Roy and the gang after the performance)
The door opened and a tall fair guy with black-and-red-rimmed glasses,
dressed in a black silk kurta and cream corduroys entered. Greetings
and chatting and talking about what’s been done, what’s to be done and
the
usual camaraderie where a lot of young and creative minds are involved.
After a
smile and a hi, I of course crept to the farthest corner I could without
looking too obviously rude. Of course my tongue had decided to get tied
at that
very moment, and I was trying to come up with a dozen excuses of somehow
getting out of there.
Yes, I know the last post I had shared here was that on Anupam Roy (and it was quite a long time ago and I've been guilty of not coming back to my Kolkata blog sooner...I do plead guilty!)
As much as I wanted to write about a lot of things that bring up Kolkata for me, things that, even while I haven't considered myself much of a baangali all these years, are suddenly making me love 'my' culture and 'my' people more (at the cost of sounding regionalistic!), Im just running a bit short on time and need a little more of it to sit down and share those memories and experiences better with you.
Like you already know by now, Im a big fan of Anupam Roy's brand of singing and lyrics....though much of it still manages to make sense to me as I don't understand what it means!! :-(
So here I am right now, sitting by a window that looks out to the sea, and its raining here in Mumbai, monsoon at its full peak, and the cool breeze flowing in through the open window blowing through my hair...and what's playing in my ears???? The amazing acoustic version of one of my most favourite songs ever - Beche Thakar Gaan....and yes, I love this version much much more than the one used in the movie sung by Rupam? (I hope I got the name correct!)
I only recently heard this acoustic version and its been playing on repeat mode ever since, as was obvious....So sing along, as I share the lyrics here with you....I can't do a translate here as Im not good at understanding it myself....please excuse me on that..I'll definitely try to work some magic, understand all of this and come back with the translations...
And Anupam, if this ever reaches your eyes...A BIIIG THANKS for making the kind of music that you do and making me and millions of other bengalis and even non-bong or 'probaashi' bongs smile and bring back some cherished memories....a big hug ;-)
Sing Along:
Jodi pheley ditey boley ghola joley kola tuli Jeno aami kuriye nebo taa Jodi khuley nitey boley du paaye baandhaa ghungur Jeno aami khultey debo na
Jodi pheley.......
Aar aami aami jaani jaani choraabaali kotokhaani gilechhey aamader roj Aar aami aami jaani jaani proti raatey hoyeraani haaraano shobder khonj
(* Above pic courtesy Anupam Roy official website)
(* Above pic courtesy Google Images. I took the liberty of editing the pic a bit, please don't mind Anupam)
It was just another regular day when one of my cousins happened to share a link on the public daily diary of so many of us - yes, I guess you got it already, Im talking about FaceBook - I clicked it and was mesmerised by what I heard.
You see, it had been many years that I had watched a Bangla movie, or heard a song from a bengali film or music album or band. So I had definitely missed the sudden taking-by-storm of Bengal by this amazing bomb of a talent. As I clicked on that link and saw a sepia-tinted story-line unfold in front of my eyes, what haunted me most was the soundtrack. Here, have a look:
The moment I heard the background score and that voice, I knew I was going to watch this movie. The credits said the singer was one 'Anupam Roy.' Soon after that I watched the movie, and got the songs on my phone, which stores all my favourite music. For many days after that, the songs played on loop mode and I was almost a 'paaka baangali', humming to the tunes and singing the lyrics along with Anupam. 'Amake Amar Moto Thakte Dao' had almost become an anthem for me by then.
I began sharing these songs on FaceBook, wanting to share these amazing melodies and lyrics with other friends, and suddenly, I realised I was not the only one who was kept out of this sudden coming-of-age of Bangla music. There were many like me, living outside Bengal, who had not had as many opportunities to keep an update on the latest Bengali movies and songs. On the other hand, I realised that Anupam Roy was a very big name, not only in Bengal, but among those bengalis who live outside and were connected to Kolkata in some way or the other. Whatever the case, I soon realised that this voice, which was soon becoming a legend, had already invaded my home, my senses, and the somewhat singable chords that I possessed.
Of course once I had a taste of 'Amake Amar Moto Thakte Dao' there was no going back. I began tracking Bengali movies and started keeping a track of the many albums and separate tracks that were being released. It also helps that my nephew happens to be a part of the Anupam Roy Band, so I do get the benefit of doubt. Whenever I lag behind in my homework, I get to know what these guys are up to. And hence get to experience many more wonderful tracks and melodies.
(*Above pic courtesy The Anupam Roy Band Official Page)
The Anupam Roy Band:
Vocals: Anupam Roy
Guitar: Subhodip Banerjee
Bass: Roheet Mukherjee
Keyboards: Nabarun Bose
Drums: Sandipan Parial
(*Above pic courtesy Google Images, I took the liberty of editing it a bit, hope no one minds)
There are the regular favourites that I am already humming these days. The best part about Anupam's music is that you don't need to know the language, even if you don't understand the lyrics, the melody will take you to a different plane altogether. And if you happen to be a bengali and understand what he is talking about, you must consider yourself lucky that you got a chance to experience this yourself. For me, I'll be honest I don't understand each and every lyric, as my bengali is still a little imperfect. But I can sing along to almost all his songs, and I do first try and get a translation of his songs to understand them better or ask my bengali friends about it. And the best part is that my 05-year-old daughter, who is half-Bengali and half-North-Indian, also knows almost all of Anupam Roy's songs and loves to sing along. They are already on her 'fravrt' list! And as for my husband who is a North-Indian and understands a little of the normal Bangla and none of the Bengali lyrics, he is a die-hard fan and listens to these tracks even while driving!
(*Above pic courtesy Google Images, I took the liberty of editing it a bit, hope no one minds)
So here are a few links to some of Anupam Roy's most amazing songs that we really really love and just cant stop singing along:
(*Above pic I shared from Google Images. Copyright to whoever is the rightful owner, I have no claims on this. I took the liberty of making some edits on this one)
So what is so special about this voice that I suddenly became such a huge fan? I, of all people, who never ever listened to any Bangla music or watched any Bangla movies? The first thing that knocked the wind out of me when I heard Anupam Roy's voice was the level of yearning in it. And to imagine that this young man was actually working as an engineer in Bangalore for 07 years! Phew! He gave all that up and shifted base to Kolkata, India, where he was born and brought up, and has written and composed more than 150 Bengali songs. What a relief to the music industry indeed that he chose to do what his heart wanted. Thanks Anupam ;-)
Anupam Roy's voice immediately takes you to that faraway place, it touches you like a whiff of memories that lie hidden somewhere in the depth of your heart, it stirs up pictures and makes you nostalgic, reminiscing of the times that are gone, of places where you have been, of stories you once created and that now remain etched within the frame of your heart. Anupam Roy's voice has the magic to transport you to a different era, a different life altogether. It is that yearning in his voice that I find so amazing. Its not a sad voice, no, never will you feel sad when you listen to an Anupam Roy song. You may feel a longing, a yearning, a pull, but never that typical sadness. You may even be moved to tears on some occasions, but it's not that depressing sadness, it's a longing, something your heart feels but you just can't explain. Its the feeling of being alone, on your own, but not lonely.
I can't talk enough about Anupam Roy's songs. I am biased, really, and so will you be once you hear his voice and his compositions. I have been badgering my nephew to check if there are performances scheduled when I am visiting Kolkata. But looks like it isn't on the cards yet, as each time I visit Kolkata, either Anupam Roy has just performed, or is scheduled to perform right after I leave. I think I'm going to plan my trip around his performance now.
But in any case Anupam, Mumbai is really really really waiting for you now. We are really looking forward to see you perform here. And don't think you have no followers here. There are many many fans in Mumbai who are waiting for you to come to this city and perform once. You'll get plenty of love from your fans here, I can assure you that.
Thanks for making such amazing music, and for singing the way you do. We love you Anupam!
