The annual event of Sangeetalaya this year had music galore but it also had a musical quiz that had everyone waiting with bated breath.
The CE Block institute hosted the event at their community hall and kicked it off with a chorus by children, featuring songs like Laljhuti kakatua from the film Badshah and Antara Chowdhury's popular number Ek je chhilo dustu chhele. One of the girls in the group was so small that she had to be held up by her grandmother to reach the mic.
Solo performers covered various genres including songs of Tagore, Nazrul, Sanat Singha, Lalon etc.
Jhilam De, a Class V student, sang a folk number and seven-year-old Ahana Maitra sang Sab lokey koy Lalon ki jaat. Ahana is the granddaughter of the school’s principal Arpita Roy and a third-generation singer of Sangeetalaya. “Ahana loves listening to music and is a dedicated singer. She has been trained by my mother since she was three,” said Debjani Ray, a software professional and Ahana's mother.
Senior student Mandira Mitra sang Samukhe shanti parabar, and Urmila Sen performed Hriday amar prakash holo. Others presented Bengali folk, modern and golden era classics by Alpana Bandyopadhyay, Lata Mangeshkar, Bhupen Hazarika, as well as some Assamese folk. They also sang along to karaoke tracks.
But the most anticipated segment was the quiz. The questions had been set by Ray and Urmila Sen was the quiz conductor. In the first round, each team had to sing five songs on a given theme. Sen gave Group A the theme red to sing on while Group B got sky and so on.
The second round had theoretical questions on music and taal, which led to some confusion. “What is the role of mathematics in music?” Sen asked, to which someone mumbled: "Gaan shikhte esheychhi, math-er ki dorkar? (I’ve come to learn music, why need math?)”
To this Amita Sarkar, Sangeetalaya’s lone female percussionist, replied from a corner: “Don’t underestimate math in music! Counting taals relies heavily on it.” The audience broke into chuckles and contestants requested easier questions thereafter.
The final round was dumb charades, where each participant picked a chit and acted out the lines of a song for their group to guess. Arpita Kirtania gave many hints through her actions, but her group could not guess the song. Neela Bardhan tried her best to act out Teler shishi bhanglo bole, but no one could guess it either. Eventually, groups B and E emerged as joint winners.
Ruma Mukherjee, the leader of group B, felt proud. "Being a senior student, I could fetch the prize for my group. Initially, I felt low as I couldn't perform solo due to my cracked voice, but this victory has compensated for that loss," she smiled. Prizes were distributed by Alaka Chowdhury, the octogenarian mother of the principal.
Roy, a former singer with All India Radio (Calcutta and Madras), said her primary focus is on strengthening the students' foundation. "We emphasise on classical music and vocal training and then introduce various styles based on their vocal range, type, and preference. I've observed that even children today appreciate classics of the golden era."
Alert against frauds
Cyber crime awareness camps may fill your social calendar, but the moment of truth comes when a fraudster finally approaches you.
“Cyber criminals constantly come up with new scams like fake investments promising high returns or scaring you over phone calls. Use your good judgment to avoid falling for them,” said police commissioner Gaurav Sharma.
Sharma was speaking at a meet by Saanjhbaati, the senior citizens’ initiative by Bidhannagar Police Commissionarate, in association with the NGO Offer. The occasion at Dishari Bhavan was a celebration of the Bengali New Year but Sharma chose to alert the audience about imminent threats.
He cited the example of a retired man who lost his life savings of Rs 2.5 crore, as well as land, after being lured into a mobile tower installation scam.
“Do not get swayed by suspicious messages or calls on phone or social media. Tracing criminals after a crime is a challenging as they use complex financial transactions, so prevention is the key. Do not engage with them at all,” said the commissioner, asking residents to approach the local police station for help.
He also advised caution when hiring domestic helps. “Verify the person's identity with the police before employing him/ her, especially when dealing with someone unknown,” he said.
Sharma and joint police commissioner B. Varun Chandra Sekhar launched a calendar and magazine too. Kallol Ghosh, secretary of Offer, expressed delight at releasing the magazine's seventh issue. “Every article we received could be accommodated in it,” he said.
On the cultural front, there was a chorus of Eso hey Baisakh, led by Tripti Sen and other singers from her AB Block-based music school Chhandonir. Septuagenarian Swapan Sengupta surprised the audience with a rendition of Kishore Kumar's classic O majhire. "Music is my passion and I sing all kinds of songs," he said. "I look at life as a state of happiness and this is the secret to my energy."
Radha Gobindo Das and his wife Utpala presented audio drama Tirthajatri on a son abandoning his elderly mother in an old-age home. There were also dances by children of Anandaghar, a wing of Offer.
Prabhonjan Dutta, an AE Block resident in the audience had secured a front-row seat well before the show began, and praised Saanjhbaati's activities. "I call them Praanbaati since they are so devoted in their services,” Dutta smiled.