For more than a century, Rabindra Sangeet has been a significant component of Bengali culture. The genius of one man, the pulse of many.
Parbati Bhattacharya, Founder of Wanderers Footprints Travel Boutique addressing the audience
Confluence, an artistic fusion of Global Poetry and Rabindra Sangeet, captivated Delhiites at the India Habitat Centre over the weekend on August 20. Confluence is a distinctive and ongoing production that explores the fusion of Khalil Gibran’s timeless songwriting with the verses of renowned poets like Pablo Neruda, Elizabeth Bishop, Lorca, and Taha Muhammad Ali Khan, among others. Endeavouring to bridge the gap between diverse poetic traditions and musical forms, Confluence is the brainchild of Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee, well-known interdisciplinary artist and Founder of SPCkraft, a pioneering interdisciplinary art collective.
Srovonti Basu Bandyopadhyay and Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee performing
Brought to Delhi by Wanderers Footprints, The Travel Boutique, Confluence also saw the presence of acclaimed Rabindra Sangeet vocalist, Srovonti Basu Bandopadhyay who held the audience’s attention with her haunting melodies. Confluence has opened earlier for the prestigious Advertising Club, Kolkata and Baithak UK in London. Shri. Jawhar Sircar, MP Rajya Sabha was the Chief Guest and Ms. Arpita Chatterjee- Actor, Director and Producer was the Guest of Honour at the event which was also graced by eminent personalities like Indian Kathak maestro and Padma Shri recipient Ms. Shovana Narayan, noted Odissi exponent Ms. Sharon Lowen, Former Ambassador Ms. Bhaswati Mukherjee, eminent historian, classical singer and author Dr. Reba Som, fashion choreographer and commentator Ms. Vidyun Singh, Co-founder, Future Collective and Director-Programmes at Habitat World and others.
Introducing the event, Parbati Bhattacharya, Founder of Wanderers Footprints, described the evening as a musical voyage into Tagore’s ethos of universalism. She added, “I believe poetry and music can bring in a breath of fresh air specially in the stressful times that we are passing through today.”
Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee said, “In these times of tumult, what we seek are peace and humanity. My production which is essentially a work-in-progress aims to integrate the universalism in Tagore’s songs. The parallel run of global poetry makes him even more relevant today. I am glad that my maiden event in Delhi could aim at this.”
Confluence is the ideal starting point for discovering contemporary and traditional poetry forms throughout the world. The selected poets have written in several time zones, and their politics are fundamentally dissimilar from one another. The verses discover a keen ethos integration in Rabindra Sangeet. This makes the ongoing production special and rather exciting.
