Renowned Rabindra sangeet exponent, Sahana Devi, reminisces about her days with Tagore. “Rabindranath Tagore used to come to my uncle Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das’s house in Bhawanipore. One day when he came, my aunt (Amala Das) took me to him and asked: ‘Will you listen to our daughter sing?’ So, I sang a song taught by my aunt. That was the beginning of learning music from Rabindranath. I learnt music at his feet. He not only enjoyed teaching music, he also enjoyed singing. I remember the years 1917-1922 when I was in Kashi. Tagore came to Kashi as a guest of the Maharaja. I went to Nandeshwar Palace to meet him. He taught me four songs, including Dinguli mor sonar khanchay.
Lyrics:
দিনগুলি মোর সোনার খাঁচায় রইল না–
সেই-যে আমার নানা রঙের দিনগুলি।
কান্নাহাসির বাঁধন তারা সইল না–
সেই-যে আমার নানা রঙের দিনগুলি॥
আমার প্রাণের গানের ভাষা
শিখবে তারা ছিল আশা–
উড়ে গেল, সকল কথা কইল না–
সেই-যে আমার নানা রঙের দিনগুলি॥
স্বপন দেখি, যেন তারা কার আশে
ফেরে আমার ভাঙা খাঁচার চার পাশে–
সেই-যে আমার নানা রঙের দিনগুলি।
এত বেদন হয় কি ফাঁকি।
ওরা কি সব ছায়ার পাখি।
আকাশ-পারে কিছুই কি গো বইল না–
সেই-যে আমার নানা রঙের দিনগুলি॥
English translation:
My days could not be contained in a golden cage,
My multi-hued days…
They could not withstand the bondage of smiles and tears.
I had hoped they would learn the words of my life’s song
But they flew away without uttering all the words.
Those were my multi-hued days…
I visualize them in my dream
As if they are fluttering around the broken cage.
Those were my multi-hued days…
Is all agony futile?
Are all the birds just shadows?
Will nothing remain in the expanse of the sky?
Those were my multi-hued days…
Some useful information:
Written in: 1918, at Santiniketan
Age of the poet: 57
Published in: April-May 1919
Parjaay (Category): Bichitra (Miscellaneous)
Upa-parjaay (Sub-category): NA
Taal: Dadra
Raga: Yaman (Iman) Puravi
Notation: Geetiveethika Swarabitan: Vol. 34
Notation by: Dinendranath Thakur
Purpose of the presentation:
Tagore’s music resonates with people from all walks of life. His songs are performed at cultural events, religious ceremonies and social gatherings, reflecting their enduring popularity. In an effort to bring home this treasure trove to the non-Bengali population and Bengalis around the globe, Brainware University offers a selection of Rabindrasangeet in this presentation. It is enriched with details on the songs and relevant anecdotes.
Sung By
Sri Phalguni Mookhopadhayay Chancellor, Brainware University Phalguni Mookhopadhayay is the founder-Chancellor of Brainware University, founder-Chairman and Managing-Director of Brainware Consultancy Private Limited and founder-Chairman of Webguru Infosystems Private Limited. He did his schooling at Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Narendrapur, and graduated with honours in Economics from St Xavier’s College, Kolkata. He completed his masters in Economics from Calcutta University and MBA from IISWBM, before joining Hindustan Lever as a management trainee. He worked as a market planner for the ABP group for nearly a decade before striking out on his own and successfully launching two private limited companies and one University. Phalguni Mookhopadhayay is a self-taught digital artist, a versatile photographer, a filmmaker and a weekend singer who has already recorded 78 songs and is now immersed in a project to popularise Tagore songs among a global audience.
