A Brief Reflection on Mainak Chakrabarti’s Gaan Diye Je Tomay Khunji—Nishi Pulugurtha

A Brief Reflection on Mainak Chakrabarti’s Gaan Diye Je Tomay Khunji

-Nishi Pulugurtha

Bibliographic Information

Name of the Book: Gaan Diye Je Tomay Khunji

Author: Mainak Chakrabarti

Publisher: Penprints

Language: Bengali

Year of Publication: 2025

ISBN: 978-81-984719-3-2

Price: INR 350 | $19

Mainak Chakrabarti’s “Gaan Diye Je Tomaai Khunji” is a labour of love. Chakrabarti responds as a reader, as a connoisseur, delighting in the songs, revelling in the moments that created the songs. The several associations, snippets, stories that he writes about create a new level of tuning in to the songs. Here is a careful reader, someone who is able to see the several associations, the resonances that linger on as he listens to the songs, as he ponders and reflects. The personal comes in very often and that makes the experience of Tagore even more real, more perceptive and much similar to what one might experience oneself and not find adequate words and expressions to speak of them. For instance, when he speaks of December and winter in the chapter “Tumi He Nirmam”. There is no sadness, Chakrabarti notes, in Tagore’s winter. On the contrary he welcomes winter. “Sheet ashuk mone” he writes. “Esheche sheet gahite geet Bosonter Joy”. This is what I feel about winter and Mainak brings it forth ever so lucidly. The beauty of the collection is enhanced by the paintings done by artist Ankita Sanyal, illustration by Supriyo Chakraborty and the QR codes that can be scanned to listen to several Tagore songs in the melodious voice of Dr. Tanya Das.