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Atulprasad Sen's Bharata Bhanu |
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by Dr. Narasingha Sil |
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Atulprasad Sen, bar-at-law (1871-1934) was a consummate lyricist, composer, and singer, specializing in kirtan, thumri, ghazal (he practiced law in Lucknow and took music lessons from the North Indian maestros of Hindusthani music). Some of his airs on devotional and patriotic themes are simply superb, to say the very least. One of the lyrics on the latter theme is appended below in my translation. Although its context was the dire condition of late colonial India, it is still relevant for India’s predicament in postcolonial times, resonating particularly with the current political and cultural malaise afflicting the subcontinent. Bharata Bhanu, kotha lukale! Punah udibe kabe purababhale? Ha re Bidhata, se debakanti kalera garbhe kena dubale. Achhe Ayoddha, kotha se Raghaba, achhe Kuruksetra, kotha se Pandaba, achhe Nairanjana, kotha se mukati, achhe Nabadvip, kotha se bhakati, achhe tapoban, kotha se tapodhan, kothk se Kala Kalindikule? Purusa abaruddha apana deshe nari abaruddha nija nibase. Kotha se birendra suradanabari? Kotha se bidusi tapasi nari? Simhera deshe bicarichhe shiba biryabidambita khala kolahale. Nanaka Gauranga Shakyera jati nahika samya, bhede atmaghati. Dharmera beshe bihare adharmi. Kotha se tyagi, premi o karmi? Kotha se jati yahare bishva pujita kalera prabhatakale.
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