ABOUT THE BAND
“Simple lyrics, profound thoughts, spontaneous melodies, rustic renditions…that’s Bhoomi” and this is how the band describes itself…..Really at this present moment Bhoomi is among the leading Bengali bands who has made much of their name in the last few years.
Jatra Shuru or Yatra Shuru was the band’s debut music album that received an overwhelming response from people of all ages and of all languages…Their music is simply superb to resist even if one remains unaware of the lyrics…
There was once a band named Mohiner Ghora Guli which fell apart and some of the lead musicians of that band joined together and laid the foundations of the band named Bhoomi…
Bhoomi is different from other bands cause it uses the musical feel of Indian classical, rap, reggae, celtic, waltz and ballads apart from its very own Bengali Folk which mostly include rural folk tunes like Bhatiyali(sung by Bengali boatmen) and Baul, or in other words their songs are fusions of urban lyrics with rural tunes…
The inclusion of violin, English flute, djembe, moorcing, balalaika, samba whistle and blues harp have added a new dimension to the band’s instrumentation. The use of unconventional instruments fetch this band all the more attention…
THE BAND MEMBERS
Soumitra Ray: Lead singer, drums, thumba, bongo, djembe, and tambourine.
Surojit Chaterjee: Lead singer, flute, samba whistle, Harmonica, Tabla, etc., he plays at almost all the instruments.
Chandrani Banerjee: Lead female singer (no more associated with the band)
Sanjoy Mukherjee and Vikramjit Banerjee: They play at most of the instruments used by the band.
Abhijit Ghosh: Bass guitar and backing vocals.
Jhuppa Bose: Keyboards and backing vocals.
Robin Rai: Sound engineer, violin, harmonium.
JATRA SHURU-THE ALBUM
Launched in 1999, this album was the turning point that brought the band to the limelight.The songs of this album are fabulous to hear.This album truly was the beginning of the Bengali band’s journey and they have a long way to go!!!
SONGS OF THE ALBUM
Na ghare za munae ami : Sung in male voice, the lyric of this song is composed of the Bangladesh-i Bengali.
Dil dariya re tore kiser kotha koi? : Sung in female voice…this is one among the best songs of the album...the tune is Bhatiyali.
Barandai Roddur : Sung in male voice, this is the most popular song of the album…
Phatik name pola or Kam sarse : In male voice…this is the funniest song the band ever composed, provided you understand the lyrics…..even if you don’t understand the meaning of the song, nevermind because the tune is rocking!
Madhur Madhur Chauni : Sung in male voice and has funny lyrics…meant to be a romantic song.
Dada re tor payer niche : In male voice.Now the lyrics might seem very funny but this song contains a deep inner meaning, contains a moral……
Kande Sudhu : A slow and sad number sung in male-female voice…..This song again contains the Bhatiyali tune.
Mone aar naire : Another slow number, sung in male voice…..best to hear if you are feeling sad.
Dushtu Haowa : Sung in female voice…this is a sweet song.
Chokhar Deshe : Sung in male voice and has got the bhatiyali tunes in it……
So Jatra Shuru is an album which portrays the band’s versatility…..The songs are not meant for entertainment only, they have morals and feelings in them which even a non-bengali will understand after hearing the songs…
Well according to me this music album is great and everyone should at least try hearing it once!!!