Rabindranath Tagore’s song Mone rabe ki na rabe was first published in Vichitra magazine. It was titled ‘Ahoituk’ in Nataraj Riturangashala. This song dwells in the undefined silhouette of two categories: ‘Love’ and ‘Worship,’ which never failed to invoke queries in the minds of the listeners. Poet and critic Sankha Ghosh says in his book E Amir Aboron, “A long time ago, Amiya Chakraborty, in his essay ‘Ganer Gan’ or The Song of Songs, mentioned that these songs can be categorized into three phases: singing, listening to songs, and exchanging songs. “In his opinion, the main focus in the ‘Worship’ section is on that sublime creator of melodies, whose tunes resonate in the universe. In the ‘Love’ section, there is the aspect of giving and receiving, a musical play through the intertwining of separation and union. However, Chakraborty faced a dilemma. Perhaps he realized that categorizing these songs in such a manner was not easy….There is no division between Worship and Love; in Gitabitan, the garland of lyrics is woven together.”
Lyrics:
মনে রবে কি না রবে আমারে সে আমার মনে নাই।
ক্ষণে ক্ষণে আসি তব দুয়ারে, অকারণে গান গাই॥
চলে যায় দিন, যতখন আছি পথে যেতে যদি আসি কাছাকাছি
তোমার মুখের চকিত সুখের হাসি দেখিতে যে চাই–
তাই অকারণে গান গাই॥
ফাগুনের ফুল যায় ঝরিয়া ফাগুনের অবসানে–
ক্ষণিকের মুঠি দেয় ভরিয়া, আর কিছু নাহি জানে।
ফুরাইবে দিন, আলো হবে ক্ষীণ, গান সারা হবে, থেমে যাবে বীন,
যতখন থাকি ভরে দিবে না কি এ খেলারই ভেলাটাই–
তাই অকারণে গান গাই॥
English translation:
Whether you cherish my memory does not weigh on my mind,
I keep returning to your door to sing, sometimes unintentionally.
Days pass, as long as we can travel together in close proximity,
I long to see the sudden happy smile on your face,
That is why I continue to sing without reason…
The spring flowers wither at the end of the season,
The fistful of gifts are transient, it knows nothing else!
The day recedes, the lights grow dim, my song is sung with the veena’s final strains.
As long as I exist, come, enrich my playful raft with your bestowal,
That is why I sing without any reason!
Some useful information:
Written on: March 3, 1927, at Santiniketan
Age of the poet: 65
Published in: Bichitra (1927)
Parjaay (Category): Prem (Love)
Upa-parjaay (Sub-category): Gaan (Song)
Taal: Kaharba
Raga: Khamaj
Notation: Bichitra
Swarabitan: Vol. 2
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 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.
