Madhubanti Chakraborty casts spell with Rabindra Sangeet at Chhayanaut

The soulful renditions of Rabindranath Tagore's songs by artiste Madhubanti Chakraborty left the Chhayanaut audience spellbound on last Friday evening. The auditorium was packed to the brim for the gifted vocalist's debut performance in Bangladesh under the title "Ananto Anondodhara" (Eternal Stream of Joy).

Hailing from Shantiniketan, the cultural town founded by Tagore, Madhubanti mesmerised the audience by presenting around 15 Rabindra Sangeet renditions like "Barota Peyechi Mone Mone", "Bohe Nirantaro Anondodhara", "Megh Bolechhe Jabo Jabo", "Ohe Sundaro Momo Grihe", and "Jagote Anandajoggye". Her mellifluous voice reverberated through the auditorium, captivating the audience from the very first lines of "Taai tomar anondo amar pore".

Freedom fighter and acclaimed writer Mofidul Hoque, who is also one of the founder trustees of the Bangladesh Liberation War Museum, attended the musical event as the chief guest. He expressed his admiration stating, "Rabindranath espoused the great sacrificial fire of joy through his songs. We want Madhubanti, the daughter of Shantiniketan, to carry forward the essence and purity of Rabindra Sangeet that exists in Bangladesh today."  

Madhubanti shared her joy at fulfilling a long-cherished dream. "If the audience desires, I will gladly perform again at another event," she said after the rapturous applause. Komine Ken, first secretary of the Japanese Embassy in Shantiniketan, also wished her success on the occasion.  

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A scholarship from India's CCRT in 1995 enabled Madhubanti's blossoming as a Rabindra Sangeet vocalist. She topped her music degrees from Visva-Bharati University and continues her pursuit of excellence with an MPhil from Dhaka University.