Because we are different.

‘Music is in my veins’

1 December 2012

The voice behind Jibon Dinga aspires to be remembered for his original renditions of modern Bengali songs

FOR Chanchal Roy, a long dreamt of desire came to pass on 19 November at the Press Club, Kolkata, with the launch his debut album, Jibon Dinga, in the presence of Shubhendu Maiti, Zubeen Garg and Joy Sarkar, among others. Maiti, while praising his student’s innate musical faculties, spoke of Chanchal’s retentive memory. Garg said, “Chanchal is a natural singer,” while Sarkar spoke of the “baul” in the young singer.
The album was a stepping stone for two other artists as well, one as lyricist and the other a composer, Akash Chakraborty and Avik Mukherjee, respectively. Jibon dinga, the title track (written by Saikat Kundu and composed by Garg) lingers. Like every other composition of his, Sarkar’s Ja re bhoboghure dana (written by Rajiv) is admirable.
Chanchal has done commendable justice to Jaay re haoyae ure (written and composed by Goutam Ghosal). Excerpts from an interview:

Your musical inspirations…
Music is in my veins. My parents and also my uncle were into music at one point of time, though not professionally. Radio, the music of Kishore Kumar and RD Burman have been a constant inspiring and motivating factor. I sing from an urge to offer quality music.

Incorporating friends (who, too, are experiencing the limelight for the first time) for your debut album…
See, each of us acquire friends only when a mental attachment develops at the right moment and wavelengths match. Exactly the same happened with Akash and Avik. And this bonding is reflected in Jugnu. This particular song was created way back in 2010 and I had assured them that this composition would definitely feature in my debut album.

Memorable musical incidents you would like to share…
It was at Girish Mancha, I was to sing right after Srimati Prabhati Mukhopadhyay. Though initially I was a bit nervous, I began my rendition with a composition by Ismail Darbar and to my wonder found Pratap Roy cheering me from the wings. My performance, next to Zubeen Garg before a 25,000 audience at Bongaigaon, is undoubtedly another unforgettable incident.

Why would you suggest listening to Jibon dinga? And what is the USP of the album?
Singers bear the responsibility of promoting brand new compositions. I feel listeners too should undertake a similar responsibility. The USP of this album is me, my music — listeners have been presented with a new voice. Lyricists and composers in cooperation give birth to musical pieces and singers nourish them. Though it would be impossible for me to identify my favourite track of the album, I would love to quote from the song Jibon dinga by Saikat Kundu that’s close to my heart, Jibon dinga bai buker ghate ghate, joler chole bhase mon, ke chilo aapon?, and Ei ghate jibon jaar sonar horini, oi ghate keno takei aar chinte parini? is another much-loved phrase, which, once uttered, needs no further explanation.

saumya de