Ranchi, Jan. 3: For him, music was a universal language.

And so Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, in all likelihood, would have approved a unique idea mooted by tribal intellectuals — rendition of Ranbindrasangeet in tribal tongues.

Sanskriti Express, Tagore’s showpiece train which left Hatia station today, has left a lot of Ranchi residents talking about Tagore. But much before its arrival, a small group of enthusiasts in the capital came up with the idea of paying a tribute to Tagore in his 150th birth year by bringing out a compact disc of 10 songs in tribal languages.

“To begin with, we will take up 10 Tagore songs,” said Haren Thakur, a well-known artist, who as a member of the programme committee of Eastern Zonal Cultural Committee had mooted this idea. But funds are a problem. Thakur, who wanted EZCC to release Rs 2 lakh for the project, was advised to manage with half that amount.

The state has four major tribal languages — Santhali, Kurukh, Mundari and Ho — as well as Sadri or Nagpuri, Chotanagpur’s dialect.

For Thakur, Rabindrasangeet in Nagpuri — with the dialect’s wide appeal — is an attractive idea. “Nagpuri singers such as Mukund Nayek and Madhu Mansuri evinced interest,” he said.

Meghnath, a documentary filmmaker, felt Rabindrasangeet should strike a chord with nature-based themes. Sudipto Chakaraborty, an architect interested in the project, hoped Tagore’s nuances were kept intact while introducing tribal accompaniments. Giridhari Ganjhu, head of tribal language department at Ranchi University, welcomed the move.

Tagore’s songs have been already rendered in Santhali by Barka Saren.