Lyrics & rhythm: An aesthetic sojourn by Biswaraj with Himabrata

April 28: Silence is sometimes more eloquent than speech. Creativity harps around silence. Well. these are not utopian thoughts, but could be sufficed by lived-in examples. Creative people silently tread upon the path and leaves behind a mark to be relished and wondered at by posterity. Aesthetics at its best finds its expression in such silent moments. Creative brains goes on composing memorable piece sometimes unnoticed amidst the din and bustle of urban concrete life. Such a gem of a man, who wishes to remain silent most of the times, but goes on colouring his emotions with rhythmic words is Biswaraj Bhattacharjee, a teacher by profession, and a real kaleidoscopic personality who combines a host lot of talents, such as, a poet, lyricist, music composer, singer and above all, a down to earth human being. way2barak approached Dr. Himabrata Das, during the lockdown phase augmented by coronavirus to speak with Biswaraj and bring forth his creativity for the readers to cherish. So here goes the candid discussion between Biswaraj and Himabrata…..

“My tryst with poetry started in 2004 while I was pursuing B.Com at Gurucharan College. A few of my seniors and batch-mates would write at the time. Being influenced by them, I wrote my first poem that was published in the “Dhoni” magazine brought out by Dr Arjun Chaudhurī and Ratnadeep Deb. I started a little magazine on my own called “SFULINGO” (Embers) in 2007. A little magazine is a platform for experimental writing, often with nonconformist and anti-establishment themes. Sfulingo, which is now available as an online publication, comes out every year and contains poems, stories as well as articles.

My favourite poets from Kolkata include Joy Goswami, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Shakti Chattopadhyay and Sankha Ghosh. Local poets inspire me. But no one more profoundly than the greatest poet from the Barak Valley Shaktipada Brahmachari. The exceptional Mr Brahmachari added a new dimension to modern poetry in the Barak Valley with a breathtaking style of rhyme and rhythm that captivated the readers.

As the harbinger of a new stream of creative thought, Mr Brahmachari and his contemporaries heralded the “Otondro” (Vigilant) wave of poetry that questioned conventional ideas and canons in a post-colonial avant garde spirit. (A great resource for readers willing to learn more about the flying petrel is a 2013 YouTube documentary produced by scholars from Assam University in which the towering Topodhir Sir and Biswatosh Sir elaborate on the creative genius of Mr Brahmachari, a celebrated faculty member at the Department of Bengali, Gurucharan College)”, my dear friend Biswaraj tells me as we navigate his fascinating poetic journey.”

His compositions such as “Je kereche bastubhite,Sei kereche bhoy” (He who left me homeless/Has also left me fearless) were milestones that ignited countless minds.”adds Biswaraj. “The first song that I wrote was in Class 10. It was a dreamy first attempt by an amateur. I took to songwriting seriously in 2008 when we started off with DOLCHUT where I cherished the creative freedom offered to me as a composer .I wrote about the civil resistance and activism that underlined the Shahbag Movement in Bangladesh. I wrote about my ‘Shohor Silchar’ and also about the “Balloonwala”. My favourite songwriters include Anupam Roy (“Amake amar moto thakte dao” is a masterpiece), Pulok Bandopadhyay, Jatileshwar Mukherjee and the everlasting Salil Chowdhury.

Bapi Dutta Roy and Hrishikesh Chakraborty are my favourite songwriters from Silchar”, the noted lyricist states. The year 2017 was the year that would make Biswaraj a household name with him penning down the lyrics for the theme song for the Namami Barak festival. He benefited immensely from the time he spent interacting with the composer of the tune, the iconic Debojit Saha, transforming himself from an experimental songwriter to an accomplished lyricist.

It was this exposure that would catapult him into the limelight two years later when he penned the lyrics for two songs in the Bangladeshi romantic comedy film “Gondi” starring heavyweights, such as,  Sabyasachi Chakrabarty and Suborna Mustafa.”The director Fakhrul Arefeen Khan had a very melodious song titled “Tomari naam gai” composed by the legend Kalikaprasad Bhattacharjee in one of his earlier films “Bhuban Majhi”. Following in the footsteps of the legendary Kalika is a feeling that words cannot describe”, adds Biswaraj, the overwhelming emotion in his voice palpable.

Biswaraj had his initiation into music as a young child learning from his mother. He had his formal training in both classical music as well as in Rabindra Sangeet. Talent is relatively common to find in life, but it is rare to find someone who commands the respect and admiration of the doyens of his sphere.

He delights with his harmonium both with his solo performances and also in the extremely popular public group performances with his friends from DOLCHUT, the torchbearer of the musical scene in the Barak Valley. Biswaraj is a very busy man shuffling between his roles as a teacher, music master and a father to his young boy child. “Raatre bohut deri oi jae ghumaite ghumaite” (It becomes too late to go to sleep), he laughingly tells me about the phenomenon of parental insomnia.

Even as the jury is out on whether we will have another Shaktipada, Biswaraj remains our shining symbol of pride as he aspires to “conquer the world” of music and literature, true to his name.

Also Read: A soulful glance of musical journey of Aparajita Deb through the canvas of Dr. Himabrata Das

**Dr. Himabrata Das, Registrar, Department of Psychiatry, Tezpur Medical College & Hospital (TMCH). Apart from this, he is a vivid lover of sports & aesthetics, an eloquent commentator and a columnist.