Distinguished Rabindrasangeet exponent Sailajaranjan Majumdar recalls that the song Ore bhai phagun legechhe bonay bonay was so popular that everyone could be heard singing it. “I went to Gurudev and asked him to sing the song. Gurudev sang the first line of the song in a low tone, followed by a high note, exactly as per the notation…. Right after that, I sang this song at one of the literary gatherings of Patha Bhavan. Sudhir Chandra Kar, who worked in Gurudev’s office, accompanied me and started raving about this song. The next day, in front of Sudhir Babu, I said to Gurudev, ‘Please sing the song Ore bhai phagun legechhe once’. He sang the song again on those two scales. Sudhir Babu barely managed to flee, calling us ‘wretched villains’ under his breath!
English translation (Lyrics) of the Rabindrasangeet: Ore bhai phagun legeche
Oh brother, spring has set the forest aflame.
On the branches, among the flowers and fruits,
On every leaf, in every hidden corner.
The sky is awash in myriad colours, songs waft in the air
As if the new leaves are fluttering in my mind.
Behold the beauty of the Earth,
It breaks the meditative spell of the skies.
Her cadence of laughter breaks the silence,
It breaks into shivers intermittently.
The breeze gushes through the forest, it does not recognize the flowers.
That is the reason why they flock to the entrance of the grove,
Asking each one before they return.
Some useful information on the Rabindrasangeet: Ore bhai phagun legeche
Written in: February-March 1915
Age of the poet: 53
Published in: Sabujpatra-Falguni, Falguni Drama, 1916
Parjaay (Category): Prakriti (Nature)
Upa-parjaay (Sub-category): Basanta (Spring)
Taal: Tritaal
Raga: Basant
Notation: Ananda Sangeet Patrika (1918)
Swarabitan: Vol. 7 (Falguni)
Notation by: Indira Devi
Purpose of the presentation
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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
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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.
