Hello there!
At the outset, let me apologise for the delay in a new post. Let's just say, I got more busy in penning down answers in exam papers than typing out my thoughts. But more on that later.
For as long as I can remember, music has played an integral role in my home. I have always been captivated by good music - be it vocal or instrumental. No, dubstep doesn't count.
Just the other day, a friend asked me whether I'd heard the latest Eminem album. Thing is, and people will laugh at me here, I'm more of a Sinatra or a John Denver kind of guy. Them, besides the occasional Kenny G, Kishore Kumar or Clapton.
Eminem or Akon? 13 year old Nivedit might have said "Yeah dude", but that's a distant memory now. Or so I hope!
So recently, I was listening to a few old songs I put on shuffle, and came across a popular Bengali song by the amazing Manna Dey (What a legend! May he rest in peace and may his music live on forever).
Now don't get me wrong when I say this, but apart from casually listening to Bengali songs when they're played at family functions or at home, I've never really voluntarily heard a song completely.
Although I did hear this song a few times earlier - I even sang the first two stanzas at a party when I was younger - never did I REALLY LISTEN to this song. But this time, I did. And I was glad I did.
The song is "Coffee Houser Shei Addata Aaj Aar Nei"
(literal translation: The old hangout at the Coffee House is no more) and is a song full of nostalgia. It's like the Summer of '69 of Bengali music, but a little more sombre and, if I may say so, more moving.
You can find the song HERE.
The song has a very simple music score, with more emphasis on guitars. In fact, the song opens to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne", and no song could suit nostalgia better than this lovely Scottish melody.
Manna Dey beautifully reflects on his old "addas" with his friends, their quirks and their experiences at the famous Coffee House of Kolkata. He states how they are no longer in touch with each other - a few having moved to other countries, a woman now in a mental institute and a guitarist now resting in his "kobor" (grave). He fondly recollects how in the old days, they'd come to the Coffee House at 4:00 p.m and gossip about all topics at hand.
The lyrics of the song are nothing short of poetry. Abundant with metaphors and deep insights that forces you to resign to quiet contemplation, I had to hear this song a second time just to truly appreciate the emotions filled within this song. A few excerpts:
"সেই সাত জন নেই আজ
টেবিলটা তবু আছে
সাতটা পেয়ালা অজোও খালি নেই
একই সে বাগানে আজ
এসেছে নতুন কুঁড়ি
শুধু সেই সেদিনের মালী নেই"
(English transcript:
Shei saath jon nei aaj table ta tobu aache saath ta peyala aaj o khali nei
Eki shey bagaan a aaj esheche notun kuri shudhu shei shey din er mali nai)
This is in reference to the seven friends in the singer's "adda", who might not be there anymore, and yet their table still stands with a different set of coffee-filled cups. It is in turn, compared to a garden, where new buds may have blossomed, although the old gardener himself is no more there and there's a new one in his place.
These lines are then followed by:
"কত স্বপনের রোদ ওঠে এই কফি হাউসে
কত স্বপ্ন মেঘে ঢেকে যায়
কত জন এল গেলো
কতজনই আসবে
কফি হাউসটা শুধু থেকে যায় ।"
(English transcript:
Koto shopner rood uthe ei coffee house a koto shopno meghe dhekey jai
Koto jon elo gelo koto jon e ashbe coffee house ta shudhu theke jai)
Simple lines, which state that on the one hand, where many aspirations that have been born in the coffee house have seen the light of reality, there are also many dreams which have not been realised. Many people have come, many people will come, but the Coffee House will stand the test of time and stay constant, forever.
...
This song is TRULY, from all aspects, a masterpiece. Not only does it have a simple yet soothing tune, it also has lovely lyrics, and aided by the brilliant voice of Manna Dey, it completely fascinated me. So, I figured, what better way to restart my blog than a post about a topic that I truly love? A post about a song that I truly love.
Here are the lyrics in the BENGALI SCRIPT.
And in the ENGLISH SCRIPT.
A pretty good translation of the song to English can be found HERE.
I do hope you enjoy the song, and I hope you have a great day ahead!
- Nivedit
At the outset, let me apologise for the delay in a new post. Let's just say, I got more busy in penning down answers in exam papers than typing out my thoughts. But more on that later.
For as long as I can remember, music has played an integral role in my home. I have always been captivated by good music - be it vocal or instrumental. No, dubstep doesn't count.
Just the other day, a friend asked me whether I'd heard the latest Eminem album. Thing is, and people will laugh at me here, I'm more of a Sinatra or a John Denver kind of guy. Them, besides the occasional Kenny G, Kishore Kumar or Clapton.
Eminem or Akon? 13 year old Nivedit might have said "Yeah dude", but that's a distant memory now. Or so I hope!
So recently, I was listening to a few old songs I put on shuffle, and came across a popular Bengali song by the amazing Manna Dey (What a legend! May he rest in peace and may his music live on forever).
Now don't get me wrong when I say this, but apart from casually listening to Bengali songs when they're played at family functions or at home, I've never really voluntarily heard a song completely.
Although I did hear this song a few times earlier - I even sang the first two stanzas at a party when I was younger - never did I REALLY LISTEN to this song. But this time, I did. And I was glad I did.
The song is "Coffee Houser Shei Addata Aaj Aar Nei"
(literal translation: The old hangout at the Coffee House is no more) and is a song full of nostalgia. It's like the Summer of '69 of Bengali music, but a little more sombre and, if I may say so, more moving.
You can find the song HERE.
The song has a very simple music score, with more emphasis on guitars. In fact, the song opens to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne", and no song could suit nostalgia better than this lovely Scottish melody.
Manna Dey beautifully reflects on his old "addas" with his friends, their quirks and their experiences at the famous Coffee House of Kolkata. He states how they are no longer in touch with each other - a few having moved to other countries, a woman now in a mental institute and a guitarist now resting in his "kobor" (grave). He fondly recollects how in the old days, they'd come to the Coffee House at 4:00 p.m and gossip about all topics at hand.
The lyrics of the song are nothing short of poetry. Abundant with metaphors and deep insights that forces you to resign to quiet contemplation, I had to hear this song a second time just to truly appreciate the emotions filled within this song. A few excerpts:
"সেই সাত জন নেই আজ
টেবিলটা তবু আছে
সাতটা পেয়ালা অজোও খালি নেই
একই সে বাগানে আজ
এসেছে নতুন কুঁড়ি
শুধু সেই সেদিনের মালী নেই"
(English transcript:
Shei saath jon nei aaj table ta tobu aache saath ta peyala aaj o khali nei
Eki shey bagaan a aaj esheche notun kuri shudhu shei shey din er mali nai)
This is in reference to the seven friends in the singer's "adda", who might not be there anymore, and yet their table still stands with a different set of coffee-filled cups. It is in turn, compared to a garden, where new buds may have blossomed, although the old gardener himself is no more there and there's a new one in his place.
These lines are then followed by:
"কত স্বপনের রোদ ওঠে এই কফি হাউসে
কত স্বপ্ন মেঘে ঢেকে যায়
কত জন এল গেলো
কতজনই আসবে
কফি হাউসটা শুধু থেকে যায় ।"
(English transcript:
Koto shopner rood uthe ei coffee house a koto shopno meghe dhekey jai
Koto jon elo gelo koto jon e ashbe coffee house ta shudhu theke jai)
Simple lines, which state that on the one hand, where many aspirations that have been born in the coffee house have seen the light of reality, there are also many dreams which have not been realised. Many people have come, many people will come, but the Coffee House will stand the test of time and stay constant, forever.
...
This song is TRULY, from all aspects, a masterpiece. Not only does it have a simple yet soothing tune, it also has lovely lyrics, and aided by the brilliant voice of Manna Dey, it completely fascinated me. So, I figured, what better way to restart my blog than a post about a topic that I truly love? A post about a song that I truly love.
Here are the lyrics in the BENGALI SCRIPT.
And in the ENGLISH SCRIPT.
A pretty good translation of the song to English can be found HERE.
I do hope you enjoy the song, and I hope you have a great day ahead!
- Nivedit
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