Tribute to the bard

Tagore Society, Jamshedpur, will kick off the New Year with a special tribute to the Nobel Laureate.

The society has lined up a three-day gala, Annual Rabindra Sangeet Sammelan, from January 11 to January 13 where songs of Rabindranath Tagore will be presented. Eleven artists from across the country and neighbouring Bangladesh have been invited.

The singers’ list features renowned singers like Srikanto Acharya and Sreeradha Bandopadhyay besides Monomoy Bhattacharjee, Pubali Debnath, Srinanda Mukhopadhyay, Sasha Ghoshal, Supratik Das, Shaunak Chatterjee and Jamshedpur-based Chandana Choudhury.

Aditi Mohsin and Laisa Ahmed Lisa from Bangladesh will also perform.

“This is our annual conference. It kind of becomes a duty for the academy, which is named after Rabindranath Tagore, to honour the bard’s culture and offer something special to Rabindra Sangeet lovers at the start of the year,” said Asis Choudhury, secretary of Tagore Society.

Last year too, Tagore Society had invited Rabindra Sangeet singers from overseas to make the event grand.

Choudhury has a special request for the guests.

“I would request people to bring their teenaged children to the musical soiree so that they can listen to Rabindra Sangeets and develop love for it. Every year, we get overwhelming response at the conference but we miss the children, who are more interested in western music and instruments. I am sure that the children will at least develop interest in Rabindra Sangeet if they are made to listen to it and parents motivate them to do so,” said Choudhury.