11/05/2026
At that time, I felt that even if 10,000 listeners heard my Rabindrasangeet, and at least 2,000 of them came from outside Bengal or from abroad, my effort would feel meaningful. Tagore wrote and composed more than 2,200 songs long ago, yet even today we return to him to express sorrow, separation, joy, love, devotion, the rhythm of seasons, the first light of morning, and the quiet melancholy of evening.
But desire alone is never enough; one must also have the ability. I had no formal training in music, nor anyone to guide me properly. For the past 35 years, my work has been to mentor and guide college students with the support of my colleagues, helping them build their careers. So I often wondered: who would listen to my songs, especially beyond Bengal?
That was when I decided to translate his songs into English and narrate some of the stories and moments surrounding those songs, so that even those who do not understand Bengali could appreciate the beauty of Tagore’s extraordinary creations. With all this in mind, I gathered the courage to sing, launched a YouTube channel in my own name, and released my first Rabindra Sangeet on 9 May 2023.
My colleagues Sudipta, Datta, Koel, Abira, Surajit, Kajal, Manoj, and many others stood by me with all their heart and soul, helping me and guiding me every step of the way. Debabrata recorded the songs, handled the production and the entire post-production process. My friends and colleagues were delighted by this initiative of mine.
But back then, I could never have imagined that within just three years, my songs would gather 2 lakh subscribers, that more than 3 crore 70 lakh people would listen to them, that these songs would become popular far beyond the borders of India and reach different parts of the world, and that YouTube would award me the Silver Play Button for their immense popularity.
On the occasion of Rabindrajayanti 2026, I have sung a Baul-inspired song written by Tagore in 1918. The inspiration behind the song was ‘Dekhechi Roop Sagore Moner Manush’ by Gagan Chandra Das, the Baul singer who was especially dear to him.
