April 10, 2026 07:07 am (IST)
Follow us:
There can't be any tampering with Rabindrasangeet 'sur' : Sumitra Sen
Kolkata, May 22 (IBNS) Legendary Rabindra Sangeet exponent Sumitra Sen feels there can be no tampering with the 'sur' of Tagore songs.
"There can't be any tampering with the 'sur' in Tagore songs but music can be improvised a bit in a limited way," Sen told IBNS after being felicitated by leading jewellery brand P C Chandra last weekend.
"Music can never drown the words of any Rabindra Sangeet. There should rather be a perfect symmetry between 'sur' and 'bhab'. The instrumentation has to be done in that way," Sen, one of the doyens of Tagore school of music and whose name is uttered in the same breath with Suchitra Mitra and Ritu Guha and Dwijen Bandyopadhyay, said.
Appreciating the new generation of Tagore singers, she said "The credit goes to them to take forward the tradition of Rabindra sangeet."
Sumitra would not, however, single out any particular singer of the next generation among them.
"Accepting the honour in presence of my singer daughters Srabani Sen and Indrani Sen make me doubly happy. This is a proud moment for my family," she said.
Srabani, a popular Rabindra Sangeet singer among present generation, and Indrani regaled the select audience with timeless numbers ranging from Tomar Khola Haowa to Purano Sei Diner Katha (duet) to one of the most famous Tagore songs of Sumitra 'Megh Bolechhe Jabo jabo.'
"Yes it's one of the rare moments. With Maa sitting in the audience and we - the two sisters - singing her favourite brand of music," Indrani said.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
New Sheriff Goutam Ghose to unlock Kolkata's buried colonial past — records untouched since the East India Company
Wed, Apr 08 2026
Claimed by Water: Old timers remember losing Bengali theatre's brightest star Keya Chakraborty like Rahul in 1977
Mon, Mar 30 2026
Sitar virtuoso Ustad Shujaat Khan enthralls Sydney’s Indian classical music aficionados
Tue, Mar 10 2026
City Heroines – Women’s Day special heritage walk through Dalhousie’s stories of reform and resistance
Fri, Mar 06 2026
Kolkata’s design scene gets a glam makeover! Inside the stunning design cultures 2026 showcase at KCC
Tue, Mar 03 2026
Dalai Lama wins first Grammy at 90! What is ‘Meditations’ all about?
Mon, Feb 02 2026
Kolkata Vistiwalas: The Last Bearers of Water
Fri, Jan 16 2026