Agartala, Jan. 30: The mutual co-existence and cultural transaction between Tripura's indigenous communities and Bengalis has been evident ever since the reign of the Manikya dynasty (1400-1947).

In another illustration of this bonding, Tripura's leading Kokborok poet and Bhasa Samman awardee Chandrakanta Murasingh has translated 30 popular songs of Rabindranath Tagore into Kokborok with authentic notations in the indigenous language.

The book of songs with Bengali and Kokborok versions of the songs (with notations) was released this evening at the Sukanta Academy auditorium here by former forest minister and CPM MP Jiten Chowdhury.

'Songs composed by Tagore have always been popular among all sections of the people. But in predominantly tonal Kokborok, the original pronunciation and intonation get diluted, So, I decided to translate the songs, devising the authentic notation to keep the true spirit of the songs,' said Murasingh.

'I have already translated more songs but am in the process of revising them. To begin with, only 30 songs based on nature, love, spiritualism and patriotism have been published. There has been no experimentation or tinkering with the original tunes as recorded in Swarabitan,' he added.

Murasingh is also working on a system of devising notations for Kokborok folk songs available only in oral tradition. 'I have zeroed in on two distinct methodologies - Uttar Ragini and Dakshin Ragini. But there are more and I am trying to collect and collate the songs according to classical norms,' he said.

He also stressed the importance of preserving indigenous musical instruments such as kham, compreng, sainda, sumuia (flute) and Brindabani sareng. 'They are still being used but they need to be preserved,' he added.

Murasingh's translation of Gitanjali in Kokborok had been published by Visva Bharati University in 2013. Calcutta's Presidency University also published in 2012 a collection of 100 poems of Murasingh in Hindi titled Chandrakanta Murasinghke Shreshtha Kabitaye.

He has so far published five collections of Kokborok poems and five edited books. His book of Kokborok poems translated into English called The Stone Speaks in the Forest is a textbook for MA (English) in Ignou.

As a direct eyewitness and active participant in the socio-economic evolution of Tripura, Murasingh recalled the days when he would bathe in a spring near his home in Tuibandal of Sonamura subdivision.