The celebrations for Prabuddha Raha’s 60th birthday at the Triguna Sen Auditorium were full of good music and goodwill. Several stalwarts and contemporary musicians made the evening a great experience. Joining in were some noted names of the past, such as Biva Sengupta, Gautam Mitra and Swapna Ghoshal. Two of the best sessions were by Raha’s mentor, Sudeb Guha Thakurta, who sang the seldom-heard “Choliyachi Grihopane” on request. Packing in a rare surprise was the Hindustani classical singer, Arshad Ali, whose “Amar Mon Jokhon Jagli Na Re” will be remembered.

Raha’s friends, Srikanto Acharya and Abhijit Basu, narrated amusing anecdotes about the growing-up years and music lessons. Sadly, time ran out and Raha was restricted to just a few songs. His dulcet voice and command over nuance saw him in brilliant form.

The Babu Bibi Sangbad session, helmed by Academy Theatre, Riddhi Sen Academy and Shunya and held at the ICCR, saw long queues. “Ke Boliley Malini” from the play, Bidyasundor, sung by Riddhi Bandopadhyay and “Kata Bone Tulte Gelam” from Bishabrikho by Devajit Bandopadhyay often form part of the duo’s repertoire. As usual, they sang with professional ease.

Srovonti Bandopadhyay faced trouble with “Timiro Duar Kholo”, not because of her rendition but because the microphones kept malfunctioning. Despite a bold and trained style, she fell slightly short of the magic expected of her. One had to fall back on familiar numbers such as “Heshe Nao Du Din” (by Riddhi) and “Andhakarer Antore Te” (by Devjit) to enjoy the rest of the evening.