Entertainment
The Pied Pipers of Jadur Shohor
Photo Courtesy: Chircutt
The lights are dimmed, the stage is set, there is a quiet energy in the air. These people have heard them before, they know what they sound like and yet, you can sense the excitement amidst the crowd. As soon as the band gets on stage, the crowd erupts with a single request, “Kanamachi! Kanamachi! Kanamachi!”
The epic fusion band Chirkutt had never expected such response from an audience that saw them perform only once before. What was more interesting was that the band was playing at a music festival in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The audience they were playing for didn't understand the language they were singing in, they didn't know the lyrics of the song but that didn't stop them from humming along with the tune played onstage.
“It felt exhilarating,” says vocalist Pintu Ghosh. “The festival was a four-day long tour; two performances were organized in the city of Jaffna and two were organized in Colombo. When we got onstage for our first performance in Colombo, we were surprised to hear requests coming from members of the audience. They had probably heard of our performance in Jaffna but we didn't expect such response from an audience we hadn't played for before.”
Their very first album 'Chirkutnama', released in 2010, established the fact that Chirkutt was here to stay. Even though the album didn't sell as well as expected by band members, it has since gained a strong cult following amongst aficionados of good music. At a time when bubblegum solo pop albums were ruling the roost, 'Chirkuttnama' decided to go against the tide, taking listeners captive with their edgy lyrics, raw, rich vocals, smooth music arrangements, and fresh music.
Photo Courtesy: Chircutt
Their second album 'Jadur Shohor' was launched on August 2 this year by band members' parents, who had also launched the band's earlier album, in the presence of the Norwegian Ambassador in Dhaka, Ragne birte lund. Chirkutt fans had promised the band that they would buy the album instead of resorting to pirated versions online, and they delivered on that promise; apart from generating widespread acclaim from both critics and fans, 'Jadur Shohor' has been immensely successful commercially.
Chirkutt's songs have the ability to force listeners to think, to ponder on issues of social importance as best exemplified by the brilliant 'Khajna.' The band believes that as social beings, they have a responsibility to represent society through their songs. They believe that their songs should be testaments to the variety of life; they should depict the evolution of human beings and cities.
“Every person's life is different from the other and each person's life is defined by various aspects. We can't just limit ourselves by composing love songs. We want to explore the different facets of individuals and the society, alike. There are so many diverse issues to think about; why would we constraint ourselves by focussing on just particular theme?” asks vocalist Sharmin Sultana Sumi.
Band members, however, clarify that they don't consciously work on portraying a certain image. “Our songs are a spontaneous reflection of our thoughts; you won't find our albums filled with fluffy numbers. Similarly, our music is not all about critiquing the society; variety is the key component in our music, and that's probably the reason why our fans keep expecting the best from us,” says Pintu.
In-sync. That's the word that comes to mind when you see members of Chirkutt together. The band is unstoppable onstage and they are unstoppable off it. Just like their music, members of the band experiment with multiple roles that add to the unique personality of Chirkutt. Emon Chowdhury is considered to be the genius of the group; a competent musician, Emon is the lead guitarist and also plays the mandolin, banjo, ukulele and narsingha. Other members unanimously agree that the band can credit a lot of its success to Emon's zeal to play with new forms of music and instruments. Pavel Areen, the youngest member of the band, seems like the typical lively, restless 20-year old. But when he's on stage, all you see is a prodigious drummer and percussionist. As a sound producer, Pavel won't hesitate to spend more than he earns to get the latest gadget to ensure that the band has a sure footing in the technical aspects of music production. Pintu and Sumi are the vocalists, but their singing styles are as different as chalk and cheese. While Sumi has a raw, unprocessed style of singing, Pintu has a softer, more soulful approach that forces you listen to his numbers over and over again. Rokon Emon is the absent-minded bassist of the band, who is as willing to lose himself while playing music as he is when walking the streets.
Even though Chirkutt is yet to achieve the kind of success that it deserves in Bangladesh, they have received widespread acclaim and recognition abroad. They have performed in India and Sri Lanka till date and music videos of their songs 'Katakuti' and 'Khajna' have been telecast on MTV Roots on MTV, India. The band will soon tour to Norway to perform live concerts, organised by the Norwegian concert organiser Rikskonsertene, in different cities along with popular Norwegian band Casa Murilo. Chirkutt and Casa Murilo had performed together at several concerts in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and fans can hear new music coming from this collaboration as they plan to hold studio recording sessions in Norway.
“We feel proud to be able to represent Bangladesh in foreign festivals and tours,” says Sumi. “Being able to perform alongside musicians from different parts of the world and learn about their culture and their roots through their music, that in itself is enough for us as musicians,” she adds.
At the Jaffna Music Festival, the band would end up meeting fellow musicians from other countries whenever they visited a musical instruments store, says Emon. “They are as passionate about their music as we are, and we would end up having an impromptu jamming session at the music store to the surprise of store owners and other customers,” he says.
They may have started slow but the band has been on a roll since their inception in 2002. They haven't had a moment to breathe this year, as they were busy launching an album and performing in live concerts within the country and abroad. “We haven't stopped to catch a moment of respite all this year and to tell you the truth, we don't have any desire to stop until we are all out of music, which is not even a possibility,” concludes Pintu with a smile.
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