Rabindra Jayanti is an annually celebrated cultural festival, prevalent among Tagorephiles (people who love Tagore and his works) around the world, in the remembrance of Rabindranath Tagore’ on his birth anniversary. It is celebrated in early May, on the 25th day of the Bengali month of Boishakh. According to English Calendar, some consider his birthday to be on May 7.
Every year, numerous cultural programs & events, such as Kabipranam – the songs (Rabindra Sangeet), poetries, dances, and dramas, written and composed by Tagore, are performed on this particular day, by various schools, colleges & universities of Bengal, and also celebrated by different groups abroad, as a tribute to Tagore and his works.
In a similar effort, Suchetha Satish, an Indian-origin singer based in Dubai has recorded and released three Tagore songs in Arabic as part of an album called ‘Tagore Beyond Horizon’ at the Indian consulate auditorium in Dubai on Tagore’s 161st birth anniversary. The iconic Tagore songs chosen for the album include Ekla Chalo Re, Alokerei Jharnadharay, and Nai Nai Bhoy. This is the first Arabic translation of Rabindra Sangeet.
The singer originally hails from Kerala and is settled in UAE with her family.
“No Tagore songs have been translated to Arabic and so he is not much known in the Arab world, which is a pity. We thought in the 75th year of India’s Independence which is also the year of the 50th National Day of Dubai, this project would spread the fragrance of Tagore here most befittingly,” said Suchetha’s father T.C. Satish to LifeBeyondNumbers.
Making of ‘Tagore Beyond Horizon’
Though Suchetha is the voice, the idea of the translation initially came to Dev Chakraborty, a Dubai-based music director, and singer.
“I chose the most inspirational songs of Tagore. They were written at the time of India’s freedom struggle. In these times of the pandemic, these classical songs have acquired a different message of hope and fearlessness. While composing, I had to blend the musical sensibilities of Hindustani and Arabic music. I had to be extremely selective in choosing musical compositions that truly bridged the cultures of UAE and India,” Chakraborty explained.
He took the help of Emirati poet laureate Shihab Ghanem, a 2013 recipient of the Tagore Peace Prize from the Asiatic Society for the Arabic version.
“It was a great honor for me and also a challenge as it is different from translating prose and poetry. When translating, I had to be mindful of the rhythm and meter and find a middle path to accommodate both Arabic and Indian music traditions,” Mr. Ghanem told.
Chakraborty and Suchetha earlier composed an Arabic poem by Ghanem on the occasion of the UAE National Day. Another Arabic song by her on the Dubai ruler’s 70th birthday was composed by Monty Sharma (the music director of the films ‘Black’ and ‘Saawariya’). In the album ‘Tagore Beyond Horizon’, Dev has sung the Bengali originals and Suchetha rendered the Arabic versions.
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“I studied Arabic till Grade VII. I have sung several songs earlier, including some original compositions,” informed the Grade XII student of Indian High School, Dubai.
Suchetha has plans to release more Tagore songs in Arabic.
“Even if her Tagore project reaches 100 listeners, it will be worth the effort,” her father Dr. Satish said.
The teen singer has a knack and talent for picking up pronunciations pretty fast and precisely for which she by now sung in 132 languages. She holds the Guinness World Record for “most languages sung in one concert”.
Earlier she sang a COVID awareness song in 32 languages from which the Kerala government picked five, including a Bengali version, for its Break the Chain campaign.