On a clear night, lined with bougainvilleas and the twilight of Victoria Memorial, the Glenburn Penthouse Culture Club presented a captivating and moving performance, What Women Want, with singer, writer and director Isheeta Ganguly and a reading with PR aficionado and author Rita Bhimani for an international audience. With songs from her fusion works, Damaru and Songs of Pritam amongst her many albums, Isheeta regaled the Glenburn Culture Club audience after an introduction to the evening by the graceful lady behind Glenburn, Husna-Tara Prakash. Isheeta’s bouquet of songs and readings featured fusion Tagore compositions of inspiration celebrating the spirit, dynamism and resilience of women in honour of International Women’s Day.
(L-R) Rita Bhimani, Husna tara-Prakash and Isheeta Ganguly at the event
The evening began with delectable treats of the Glenburn Penthouse, accompanied by their signature teas, before the readings commenced. These were drawn from Isheeta’s celebrated musical theatre production, Three Women, inspired by her training under the legendary Suchitra Mitra. In this performance, Charu and the ghost-like Kadambari engage in a dialogue about identity, purpose and love – timeless themes that continue to shape what women seek, both then and now.
While Rita Bhimani avidly read the part of Kadambari, Isheeta quipped back as Charu. The narrative went from a friendly banter to an often sarcastic, dramatic-comedy exchange between the two. Thereafter, Isheeta went into the songs from Three Women with her warm, smooth and powerful voice, adeptly accompanied by veteran tablaji Biplab Mondol and ace keyboardist Babu Subrata Mukherjee starting with a blend of the gospel song Amazing Grace with her fusion number Damaru – adapted from Baje re baje damaru baje. Thereafter, she moved into other songs including a Hindi-Bengali version of Ami Chini go Chini, and others including a hip-hop 3-4 fusion of Jodi tor daak shune – recreated as Walk Alone. The English lyrics spoke to the spirit of women and empowerment with “If they don’t answer your call, turn and just face the wall, don’t be afraid to walk alone. If they leave you out in the cold and there’s no light in the storm, don’t be afraid to walk alone…”
As the gentle March breeze carried the melodies through the evening, Isheeta brought the night to a close with Auld Lang Syne – Purano Shei Diner Kotha. The audience joined in, and the final notes lingered in the air — a sense of nostalgia and togetherness remained, echoing long after the music had faded.