Intended at promoting Chhath songs among people, a 44-year-old Bengali Classical singer, Anindita Banerjeee has sung two Bengali songs which were launched today during a function organised at Durga Mandir Mandap of Dhanbad. The songs have been released under the banner of Studio Higher Octave of Bokaro.
Each song of seven minutes was also composed by Banerjee herself. These musical compositions uploaded on the official YouTube channel of Studio Higher Octove became an instant hit among the Chhath revellers.
Talking to The Telgraph Online, Banerjee said, “I have started singing chhath songs since last year. My song titled Chhath mayer koto je mahima se kiar mukhe bola jaye launched last year has received altogether 9847 k hits on YouTube.”
She further added, “This year, like the previous year, I have composed and sung two songs including the one titled, Nutun kore jachhi tumay abar chatth ma tumi sara daay, and other titled Otho go he suruj dev uday hober samay holo, argh debo samay holo, have been sung in traditional folk tunes of Chhath song.”
Mritunjoy Bhattacharjee, music teacher of Delhi Public School, Bokaro who directed both the song videos said, “Though this year, like last year faced a lot of difficulties in recording as well as making the videos of the songs due to Covid restrictions but by the grace of the Sun god we succeeded in coming up with the songs which have been released today.”.
Banerjee wife of Barun Kumar Banerjee, a Tata Steel Sijua group mining engineer said, “Though born and brought at Bishnupur in Bengal I initially could not understand the meaning of the words of the traditional Chhath song during the initial period although the I could feel the devotion inherent in song but with the passage of time I understood the meaning of the song and decided to offer my gratitude to Sun god by singing the Chhath song.”
Banerjee, daughter of Bishnupur’s famous sitarist Alok Kanti Acharya, said, ‘I initially learnt Rabindra Sangeet from Maya Sen of Bengal but after my marriage, when I shifted to Dhanbad in 1999 I learnt classical Hindi song from famous classical singer of Dhanbad, Balkishan Singh alias Munna Bhaiya for several years.”
“This effort is not only a cultural awakening but it is also a heartfelt tribute to Chhath Puja the most famous and virtuous festival of Hindi language which has transcended the boundaries of language and community”further said Banerjee.
“Bangla Chhath Geet has given a cultural gift not only to the Bengali Community of Jharkhand and Bihar but also to the Bengali speaking people living in West Bengal, Assam who worship Chhath Maiya with joy and reverence,” summed up Banerjee.
