This song was composed when Rabindranath Tagore, accompanied by scientist P.C. Mahalanobis and his wife, left London for another tour of Europe. Tagore arrived in Nuremberg from Munich in 1926. There he wrote two songs on September 19 and 20: Aamar mukti gaaner shurey, which was later altered to Aamar mukti aaloy aaloy, and Sakalbelai aaloy bajey. That year, while travelling in Europe, Tagore composed 28 songs. According to the records in Rabindra Jiboni, Tagore was in Zagreb for two days and in Bucharest for five. It is a marvel how the poet managed to create such lyricism amid a hectic travel schedule. His state of mind is evident when, late one night during these travels, from a hotel room in Vienna, he wrote to Tejesh Chandra Sen, a teacher at Santiniketan: “Here I am at 3 in the morning, as it is, there is this darkness of night, covered in clouds – in my mind, I feel an intolerable restlessness to escape from myself at a furious speed. Where do I escape? From the din and bustle to music”.
English translation (Lyrics) of the Rabindrasangeet: Amar Mukti Aloy Aloy
My freedom is in the radiance of the skies,
My freedom is amid the dust and in the grass,
In the distant shore of the body and mind, I lose myself.
The melodies of songs make my liberated spirit soar.
My freedom resides in the minds of the people,
In difficult chores that defy sorrow and danger.
In the sacrificial fire on the altar of the Creator,
May my liberation come when I offer my life there.
Some useful information on the Rabindrasangeet: Amar Mukti Aloy Aloy
Written on: September 19, 1926 at Nuremberg – Germany
Age of the poet: 65
Published in: Baikali (1973)
Parjaay (Category): Puja (Worship)
Upa-parjaay (Sub-category): Biswa (World)
Taal: Teora
Raga: Mixed Kedara
Notation: Swarabitan Swarabitan: Vol. 5
Notation by: Dinendranath 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 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.
