Gana Sangeet and Salil Chowdhury: A Comprehensive Review/ গণসংগীত ও সলিল চৌধুরী : এক সামগ্রিক পর্যালোচনা

Abstract

The relationship between Indian People’s Theatre Association and muss music is inextricably related. In the 40s when the political situation in Bengal was not normal at all, has made the daily life and livelihood of common people miserable. In that social and political situation the Indian People’s Theatre Association was formed to reawaken and build the consciousness of all the people culturally. However, this Indian People’s Theatre Association not formed in one day. The Communist Party of India laid the ground work for the establishment of it. In the bulletin of the I.P.T.A has repeatedly started that any intellectual artist, writer who wants to speak about the people can join. I.P.T.A has largely functioned as the cultural wing of the Communist Party. I.P.T.A was born in 1943. The poor farmers, labourers, day labourers somehow made a living. I.P.T.A broke the So Called drama barrier and come out and brought revaluation. ‘I.P.T.A stars the people — this was stated at the very beginning of the first bulletin (July, 1943) of I.P.T.A. this bulletin explains the socio-political situation of company at the time under the name of ‘Historical background’. The bulletin clearly states; the I.P.T.A has taken responsibility because the country’s theatre has not kept pace with the mentality of the times. I.P.T.A has thought of presenting new and stimulating subjects through the old and traditional medium of folk art. Therefore, by accepting the cultural heritage of our country, we should show todays problems through it, and find way to solve it. Like the I.P.T.A about their production, it will be ‘simple’ and ‘direct’. So that the common people can easily understand and themselves can come forward enthusiastically in new theatre production. By following this path, I.P.T. A’s success comes gradually.

            In a very short time, the new form of music come by holding the hands of I.P.T.A whose purpose of writing or singing is to speak out against injustice. The subject name of the new form of music is ‘Mass Music’. It is not that the song of struggle, the song of protest did not exists in Bengali language before, but it must be admitted that the name of muss music would never have been established and known if I.P.T.A was not formed. How the mass music has become an extraordinary art form in the political and social conditions, would have remained unknown to us. Binay Ray used to train all the introductory phase of the I.P.T.A and mass music. Salil Chowdhury, Debabrata Biswas, Jyotirindra Moitra, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, Hemanga Biswas, Suchitra Mitra etc were beside Binay Ray. Hemanga Biswas reinvented mass music in the form of folk music. Gurudas Pal, Ramesh Shit, Nibaran Pandit expressed their pain of life through music. Not being people of West Bengal, Bhupen Hazarika popularized mass musician among the Bengalies of West Bengal. Salil Chowdhury wrote and composed his songs of mass consciousness. He did various experiments on his mass music. He pioneered a new song theme, form and style of mass music. In this way, mass music and Salil Chowdhury became an inseparable part.