Living on a Prayer

Between Lalgarh and us stands a wall so formidable that the only alternative to curiosity that is not quenched by newspaper headlines,is probably apathy. Our generation might circle out a bit of our state in their minds and imagine violence hovering over its head,but this relentless pursuit of tragedy has spelt doom for more than just Left supporters in the area. Jhargram and all the blocks under the sub division had been the hot bed of folk music,dance and literature for longer than the Left government’s rule in the state. “Bhadu,Tushu,Jhumur are forms of music that celebrate tribal life,tribal culture. With this shift in focus,people seem to have forgotten completely about the rural musicians and their delightful art,” says Partha Bhowmik,who with his friends Ananda Mukherjee and Shubho Das Sharma set up Mahul a few years back. The band has come out with its latest album,’Lalgarh er Laalmaati’ (The Red Earth of Lalgarh) to re-introduce people to the other things West Midnapore stood for.

“The album comprises Jhumur,Bhatiyali,Bhawaiiya numbers. We have also recorded our version of a Chhad Petanor Gaan – a genre popularised by rural labourers in the past,who used to pound on roofs of newly made houses to make them firm,” says Bhowmik who was born and brought up in Jhargram. Mahul has named the album after a very popular local song,that has been passed down as an oral tradition. “Laalmaati talks about Lalgarh under the zamindari practice. It is a lively,slightly satirical account of people and life around that time. It also stands for the best in our folk tradition,” says Bhowmik. Other songs in the album include those popular at the Rath Yatra celebrations in Ramgarh,adjacent to Lalgarh.

A sizeable chunk of this body of folk music is lost due to lack of efforts to record them for posterity. “We are trying to collect traditional folk songs,lyrics,instruments from remote villages in Bengal and preserve them to the best of our capacity,” he says. Mahul has collected and preserved songs sung by Shalabad Mahato,a popular folk singer of the past,now in his late nineties. “Rural cultural traditions in West Bengal is a subject that demands intensive research. Only if there weren’t as many impediments,” rues the singer-composer.