Sometimes intimate gatherings throw up surprises. At Sursaptak’s Bangla Gaaner Asar at the Rag Anurag Music Academy, Keya Nag’s (picture) presentations of “Eka mor gaaner tori” (Atul Prasad Sen), “Ei akash notun” and “Aaj bikeler daake” were pitch-perfect. Her singing was balmy and she kept the sound clean and the pace dynamic.
Sumita Ganguly pleaded throat issues and her “Mor pathikere bujhi” (Rabindrasangeet) and “Se je paramo” (Rajanikanta Sen) were passable. Debangshu Mukherjee rose above his troubled voice in “Aaji bijon ghore” (Rabindrasangeet), “O akash shona shona”, and “Aamar gaaner mala” (Nazrulgeeti). But it is the relatively unknown Shyamasangeet, “Aaye neche neche”, that stayed with the listeners for its warmth and pace. In contrast, the popular Manabendra Mukherjee number, “Aami eto je tomaye”, sounded less intense and sharp.
All the singers were ably supported by the two accompanists, Gautam Choudhury (keyboards) and Debojyoti Goswami (tabla), who payed an equal role in the evening’s performances.