2006: He went knocking on producers’ doors to record an album. In vain.

2010: Labels queued up vying for rights to produce his songs. In desperation.

2012: His first solo project produced by V Music featuring eight of his original tracks will see the light of day. Finally.

Come Friday and Anupam Roy, the Behala boy living in Bangalore who took Calcutta by storm with his Amake amar moto (Autograph), is all set to launch his first solo album Durbiney Chokh Rakhbo Na. A t2 chat with the engineer-turned-singer-songwriter about his album, returning to Calcutta and discovering metal.

How does it feel?

Khub anander! Hoyni kintu pursue korei gechhi (I am happy. I kept pursuing this). And now it’s happened and happened in a big way. After Autograph’s success and an offer to compose for Chalo Paltai towards the end of 2010, Shree Venkatesh (Films) came up with a deal of doing three back-to-back albums with me. I said yes immediately and was ready to start recording because I wouldn’t need to sit and write new songs for the album. Songs were already there. I just had to choose some. In fact my album was ready by March 2011.

Then why a year’s delay?

Since 22shey Srabon happened soon after, which again was my music, the film album took priority. The production house was waiting for the right time to release this album and they concluded that Valentine’s Day would be the ideal time for it. In December a music video was shot for the song Tistaan 2 which should go on air soon.

The album is titled Durbiney Chokh Rakhbo Na and two of the eight songs are Benche thakar gaan and Amake amar moto. There seems to be a strong Autograph connect…

Yes, exactly. That is because it was recorded around 2010-11. I had reasons for including those two songs in the album. Firstly, I wanted people to listen to the original lyrics of Benche thakar gaan. Srijit (Mukherji) had got me to change many of the words to suit the film. Benche thaka for me was not about the benche thaka of the character in Autograph but about survival of the arts — painting, dance, music, poetry. Every night after coming back home from work I would sit down to write songs. Tokhon mone hoto etake banchiye rakha jabena (It seemed then that I would not be able to keep it alive). This song is about that benche thaka of kobita thasha khata, hariye jawa piano baanshi guitar... The song was re-recorded with a more simplistic arrangement.

Coming to Amake amar moto, the main problem with the version heard in Autograph is it wasn’t a studio recording. It was a demo track that I had recorded at a friend’s place and sent Srijit and Debuda (Debojyoti Mishra) but they used it as it was. People probably liked the rawness but I don’t like listening to it at all! There were problems in the lyrics, the tune... onek shomoshya chhilo that I couldn’t correct. Maybe it’s a futile attempt now but I just wanted to sing it the right way.

With more than 140 songs to choose from your diary, how did you pick the rest?

The songs on this album are the ones I wrote between 2004 and 2009. I shortlisted ones that I’ve always wanted to have in an album from the first time I ever planned it. Some of my friends played an important role, including Srijit. Shree Venkatesh also played a role in helping me choose. Some old ones I have used because they’re getting dated, at least to me. Then there are one or two that are popular in my live shows or have been greatly appreciated by a crowd even if they’ve never heard me. And there are some that might take time to grow on you.

Take us through the songs…

Rondhre rondhre paap: Walking down the street on my way back from my music class one day after learning raga Malkosh, I kept humming the notes in my head to come up with this concept. Since I play the guitar, I have a tendency to go from Indian classical into western. I found similarities between the raga and 12 bar blues. It’s a fun song that starts seriously but ends up as a satire on all of us being sinners in some way.

Tistaan 2: My oldest song on the album. Before leaving Calcutta for Bangalore in 2004, I wrote a song called Tistaan. A very childish song about leaving home. Tistaan was a name I coined for an imaginary world, a comfort zone or a dreamland where one wants to escape. I wrote Tistaan 2 in Bangalore, feeling very tired with my office life. Tistaan to me at that point in 2005 was my home in Calcutta, where I wanted to come back.

Bijli bati: It’s a sweet soft song on an unusual 7/8 beat. It’s about a man who comes home from work and lights up his electric lamp to find a chain of ants picnicking on the floor. This is the song I’m most attached to. I wrote it in 2006 and it marked the transition point in my songwriting. It was the first time I paid a lot of attention to the structure of a song and my songwriting abilities. Though it sounds simple there are layers to the song.

Ure jaak: A love song I composed in 2007. Obhimaaner gaan, with complicated thoughts about love that goes unnoticed, longing for Calcutta and white nights symbolised by Victoria Memorial.

Aloshyo: This I wrote in 2005. First thing I’d do on a holiday after waking up was sit down with a guitar. One such day of staring at the door, strumming tunes and watching curtains flutter in the wind on a summer afternoon inspired this lazy song.

Kaka: I used to live outside Calcutta so I’d get to see a lot of non-resident Bengalis who would put in extraordinary efforts to prove their Bangaliana. Kaka is a fun satirical song about things people do to fit the notion of a Bengali.

You have collaborated with a range of artistes...

Yes, because at the time of recording this album I hardly knew anyone from the music scene here except Raja Narayan Deb, Rajkumar Sengupta and Debasish Shome. I knew that if I tried doing everything myself, I would mess it up. I gave it to those who were more experienced. The studio versions are completely different from my live sound. Panku has played bass and Gaboo percussion. Srijit has played harmonica for two songs.

The CD pack is a listener’s delight with song lyrics and guitar tabs…

Yes, the intention was to get everyone singing and strumming. I’ve seen wrong chords doing the rounds for Amake amar moto and Ekbaar bol online. There are YouTube videos of people who have sung and posted these songs but played completely wrong. This should help put them on the right track. Our approach was to help anyone from a beginner to a pro, play the songs.

What’s next?

I have concerts lined up all year and I will be performing at Hiland Park on the day of the launch. I want to get over with this release as soon as possible because I’m impatient to start working on the next album. It will be a mix of old and new songs.

You came back from Bangalore to live your dreams as a musician in this city. How is that shaping up?

Shaping up pretty well. I’m doing a lot of shows. As composer I’m doing films with Srijit. New offers have come my way... amar career je kothay jachhe aami nijeo janina! My book of poems called Shara Raat Kete Jaay Tor Kotha Bhebe got released at the Book Fair. Something I’d been planning for a long time but was never confident of showcasing. I was never confident about my songs either. I never thought so many people would actually end up liking my songs. I still don’t understand how.

Has living in Calcutta helped your creative process?

Yes, 2011 has been one of the most fruitful years of life. I don’t have a job anymore so writing songs is all I do from the time I wake up. I’ve written more than 40 songs last year and I don’t write songs on homesickness anymore! (Laughs.) That period is over. All I beg is for time with myself because that’s when I can give birth to songs. Tunewise I think I’ve been a bit stuck on a particular kind of music. Growing up on Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Shyamal Mitra, my songs have Bangla adhunik strains but I need to explore more genres.

What homework do you do?

I read a lot because at the end of the day I’m also writing poetry and prose. Recently I’ve started listening to metal. I’ve never liked that kind of music but I’m making a conscious effort to understand if it’s really that bad. In fact, after I started six months ago, I don’t mind it so much now. I’m listening to Opeth and System of a Down. I’ll never be a metal fan but I can’t ignore what so many listen to and worship.

So what is priority right now?

Priority has always been and will remain songwriting. If not songs, poetry. If not poetry, prose. My finances have to be taken care of, therefore making music for films or doing live shows will continue to be a part of my musical existence but I’m happiest when I’m writing songs on my own. I am also learning from other musicians I’ve met here over the past one year and hopefully that will reflect in my next album.

7 NOTES

A song you’re currently hooked to: Radio/Video by System of a Down

Favourite singer-songwriter: Kabir Suman and John Mayer

Fave western band: Pink Floyd and Oasis

Last film you watched and loved: The Dust of Time by Theodoros Angelopoulos

Filmmaker you long to compose for someday: Abbas Kiarostami and Goutam Ghose

Best thing about coming back to Cal: Home, food, language and the music scene

Worst thing..: Traffic and people’s tendency for holidays