Kabir Suman at Dhaka: An afternoon that turned into khayal music
Kabir Suman from Kolkata came to Dhaka to perform three solo shows. This Tuesday, at the Engineer's Institute, the storyteller and musician captivated the audience to no end, this time with his renditions of khayal
Dressed in an olive-coloured fotua and a white dhoti, Kabir Suman raised both hands to greet his audience. The music maestro, with more than five decades of music under his belt, took the stage on a Tuesday afternoon. And instantly the full house auditorium burst into applause.
A moment of grandeur, after all, we were in the presence of a maestro.
There were at least 500 people of varied age groups in the audience; all of whom came to the city's Moulana Bhasani Road, on a weekday nevertheless, to see Kabir Suman perform at the Engineer's institute.
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On stage, the songwriter, singer and musician from Kolkata, sat between two banners of Kolkata's Satya Kingkar Banerjee and Bangladesh's Azad Rahman - two musicians who greatly inspired Suman's love for music.
Commemorating them in spirit, he presented the audience with his renditions of khayal - a form of classical music which favours artists with technical prowess.
On stage, Indrajeet Pradhan on tabla, Raka Bhattacharya on tanpura and Dhrubo Basu Roy on bass guitar also sat by Suman.
Much like his first concert, Suman engaged the audience with not only his music but captivating storytelling. He spoke extensively about the origin and intricacies of Bangla khayal music. At one point, it almost felt like a class on classical music rather than a concert – where he was the teacher and the audience was his students.
And why not. Suman is not only a performer on stage with impeccable talent but a treasure trove of knowledge about the field of music. Not only that, but Suman also authored several essays, novels and short stories, and has played important characters in contemplative films such as Herbert and Chaturanga.
To speak more of his versatility, Suman was a member of the parliament of India in the 15th Lok Sabha, having been elected from the Jadavpur constituency in Kolkata by the All India Trinamool Congress.
On stage this Tuesday, Suman expressed admiration for Ustad Azad Rahman of the Bishnupur gharana and his compositions of Bangla khayal. "I am very unfortunate to not have met Azad Rahman when I came to Bangladesh. He is no longer with us now. People like him are rare," said Suman.
Suman has taken Bangla music to a greater height. He has been practising music since his childhood. "If you compare Bangla music to a river, Suman is a riverbank," he said.
He performed 'E Moh Aboron Khude Dao', a song based on Sama Sen's poem and composed in imon raaga. He then turned to the audience and said, "I see the smile on some people's faces. This is what I live for."
Suman then performed Rabindranath Thakur's 'Dariye Achho Tumi Amar Gaan Opare' and 'Sei Je Chowya, Sandheo Baanke' with Trital rhythm before going on a short break.
Upon his return, he said, "I am working on a new raaga dedicated to Azad Rahman." He then performed 'Astachole Shesh Hoye Jar Shuru Purba Raage', 'Boner Chameli Pari Aay' and 'Nache Sakhigan Kunje'.
"When an artist becomes old, musicians have fewer opportunities to work. Audiences in Bangladesh like listening to my music more than they do in West Bengal," said Suman. "That's why I decided to come here despite my illness."
Despite his several health complications Suman performed with a lot of heart, and flawless form. There will never be another Kabir Suman and the show was a testament to that fact.
Under the Dipabali raaga, he performed 'Kichu Nei Tobe Ache, Eka Neel Taray' and performed a few khayal songs originally composed by Panna Lal Ghosh under chandramouli raaga – 'Raat Opare Raat Chayapath Jege Rohe' and 'Dekechi Koto Sara Dilena'.
Suman performed to a full house for the second time this week. He jokingly said "Not many people listen to my music," during the show.
He also took some time during the show to urge the Bangladeshi government to help encourage and uphold the practice of khayal music in the country.
