It isn’t new for Rabindranath Tagore’s timeless Bengali classics to be translated into other languages, but it is always heartwarming for Bengali literature and arts lovers to find people from diverse communities embracing Rabindrasangeet and making efforts to translate the works into their mother tongues.
One such recent display was by a team of artistes from Kalimpong, who translated songs of Tagore into Lepcha, and performed them at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University.
The cultural unit performing at a programme of the West Bengal Government
An indigenous language, part of the Tibeto-Burmese family of languages, Lepcha is spoken by people in many parts of West Bengal’s Darjeeling, as well as Sikkim, Nepal and Bhutan. It was classified as ‘definitely endangered’ by UNESCO in 2011.
On September 3, 2011, the West Bengal Government announced The West Bengal Mayel Lyang Lepcha Development Board (WBMLLDB) to protect and preserve the language and culture of the Lepcha-speaking community. The board, registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1961, has been taking initiatives through a diverse range of programmes like Rong Lee Housing Scheme and night schools to work towards the development of the community.
On the cultural side, the board has formed a team of musicians who are increasing awareness about the language across India through folk song performances. The members of the team, all salaried employees with a Monday-Friday work week, aged between 30 and 50 are interviewed and selected by the board. Proficiency in reading and speaking the language, and being able to write in Róng — the script of the language — are the main parameters for being part of the team.
Bridging the gap with Tagore
Translations of Rabindrasangeet in Lepcha and English
At the event in Jadavpur University, the team of 12 included Rabindrasangeet in Lepcha in their performance with two songs — Aji Dhaner Khetey and Ekla Cholo Re. All the members of the team are performing artistes proficient in music or dance, and the team is led by Suksing Lepcha, who is also a songwriter and composer.
The two Rabindrasangeet songs were translated by his predecessor NT Lepcha, who was the first culture-in-charge of the team, in collaboration with professor DC Roy from Kalimpong College. Suksing, 47, took charge of the team in 2021. A high school passout, he was previously involved in projects on civic developments in various parts of Kalimpong.
The group also performed poetry and short stories in Lepcha at the programme. Among the folk songs, they performed Chyaa Nyaa Nyaa Sathim Panu (Porcupine's song), Thaalaa Thaap Syookee Thaap (Aspiration of a Maiden), Kakoo Ku Kakoo Ku (Cuckoo Bird Song), and Paysani Sorong Paynu Ryu Ba Aey (New Year Song), to name a few.
Suksing and the other members are from various villages in Darjeeling, but are presently stationed at Kalimpong — the headquarters of the board. They perform everyday and ideate on new ways of presenting their art and culture. While they aim to translate more songs by the Nobel Laureate, they are now focussed on planning and executing more cultural events.
The band has performed at various government events and local functions, and travelled widely in the Northeast, and Delhi. They will be performing at an Indian Army event at Binnaguri in Jalpaiguri district soon.
The band performing in the hills with the Kanchenjunga in the background
Founded in 2013, the group’s first performance was in that year on the Foundation Day of the board. The recent performance at Jadavpur University was part of the dissemination workshop of the SPARC project on Academic Social Responsibility of CENTIL and University of East Anglia.
“The experience was great. The audience liked our performances too. We want to take his group forward and spread awareness about who the Lepchas are and the cultural heritage of the community,” shared Suksing.
“There is much more to offer through this group. I have many plans but funding is an impediment. We plan to put our performance up on YouTube too,” he signed off.