At a recent tribute to the late Rabindrasangeet singer, Abhirup Guha Thakurta, that was organised by his students at Chowdhury House, most speakers spoke about his bold style of singing that was always resounding and melodic. These praises were backed by an audiovisual track to highlight Guha Thakurta’s journey. The footage had him singing, among other things, the peerless “Chirosakha hey”, evoking misty-eyed ruminations.
The choral performance treated “Hey mono taare” as a metaphor. Of the solo performances, Aatreyee Guha Thakurta’s “Dibosho rajani ami jeno kaar” eschewed the twists and turns of the tune. She easily glided over the song with nostalgic élan. Rittika Basu’s honeyed voice had a subtle anxiety that robbed a bit of the charm from “Tomare janine hey”. Competent renditions came from Dithi Basu (“Amaar matha nato”) and Mandira Ghosh (“Kon sudur hotey”). One wished Suman Bhattacharya’s “Bela gelo tomar patho cheye” was a tad faster in laya as he was restrained by the format.
The song sessions were interspersed with reflections on the late singer by Soumitra Kar, Subrata Mukherjee and some of his senior students. Swagatam Das on the tabla provided able percussion support that was in keeping with the sombre occasion.
