On the 14th of June, 2009, the Bengali community of Melbourne was mesmerised by yet another musical extravaganza, pr
esented by Bengali Association of Victoria. This time it was none other than Nachiketa Chakraborty and his very talented musicians from Kolkata.
It was 4.30 p.m. and the show began. After a brief introduction, the musicians came out followed by the star himself to an almost-full house of diverse audience.
Nachiketa sang his songs with passion and his typical finesse. The variety that he brought about in the content, quality and type of the songs he sung was simply mind-blowing. His experimental song “Purono diner gaan aajo bhore mono praan...” was a classic example of him setting out on a new journey down the path set out by our golden past, taking Bengali music to new heights. He has been hailed a “prophet”. He is truly unique in his lyrics and style of presentation, especially his funny yet witty commentary before every song.
Nachiketa’s songs simply spoke the language enmasse, on the evening of June 14th and beyond. While some were chilling and brought us face-to-face with the menacing reality, others were simply hilarious and light-hearted. For example - “Eikhane jotho ma o baba ra aache, aaj ke giye chhele-meyeder hath dhore bolben, tui doctor hosh ba na hosh, lawyer hosh ba na hosh, antoto ekta maanush hosh sheitai aamar sob cheye boro pawa...”…Truly Touching!
It was evident that, Nachiketa’s talent ranged from Ghazals to Qawwalis, Folk to Rap, Classical to Pop. Any novice or lover of Bengali Music will be no doubt enthralled by this man’s talent. One couldn’t ask for anything more.
On the whole, it was a great experience to have Nachiketa here in Melbourne. They brought with them the flavour of Kolkata. We breathed it… and will cherish the memories until next time.
