Tagore associate and eminent editor Amal Home writes: “I remember the songs Tagore used to sing at Santiniketan, sometimes at Shyamali, sometimes at Punascha, sometimes at Udichi, sometimes at Udayan, at night. How many times I have heard, sitting at his feet, old favourite songs in the dark or on moonlit nights. Songs like ‘Boro Bedonar moto’, ‘Tumi Robe Nirobe’ and others.” In the song, ‘Tumi Robe Nirobe’ – instead of saphal swapan the phrase sakol swapan appears correct because sakol, meaning all, is semantically better than saphal or successful. Even Rabindranath’s own translation speaks of the entirety or sakol. This was also reiterated by Rabindra sangeet exponent Debabrata Biswas in his autobiography, Anadi Kumar Dastidar, editor of Visva Bharati Swarlipi Samiti asked him why he had used the term “sakol”. Biswas writes: “I then told Anadida that the notation that was published in Veenavadini magazine had ‘all’. Yet Anadida refused to approve the song. Later, however, Anadida approved the song.
Lyrics:
তুমি রবে নীরবে হৃদয়ে মম
নিবিড় নিভৃত পূর্ণিমানিশীথিনী-সম॥
মম জীবন যৌবন মম অখিল ভুবন
তুমি ভরিবে গৌরবে নিশীথিনী-সম॥
জাগিবে একাকী তব করুণ আঁখি,
তব অঞ্চলছায়া মোরে রহিবে ঢাকি।
মম দুঃখবেদন মম সফল স্বপন
তুমি ভরিবে সৌরভে নিশীথিনী-সম॥
English translation (Translated by- Rabindranath Tagore):
Thou shalt dwell in silence in my heart
like the full moon in the summer night.
Thy sad eyes shall watch over me in my wanderings.
The shadow of thy veil shall rest upon my heart.
Thy breath like the full moon in the summer night
shall hover about my dreams, making them fragrant.
Some useful information:
Written on: November 3, 1895, at Jorasanko
Age of the poet: 34
Published in: Poems (Songs), October 1896.
Parjaay (Category): Prem (Love)
Upa-parjaay (Sub-category): Boichitro (Variety)
Taal: Ektaal
Raga: Behag
Notation: Veenavadini Magazine 1898
Swarabitan: Vol.10
Notation by: Jyotirindranath Tagore
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 Rabindra sangeet 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.
