Bengali Cultural Society, Kuwait an esteemed non –profit cultural organization will host an evening of poetry and music titled ‘Rabindra – Nazrul – Sukanto Sandhya’ on May 22 Friday at the Indian Embassy Auditorium. The show will pay a tribute to those leading poets of Bengali literature who have nurtured the literary arts of the Indian subcontinent. The event is sponsored by Al Mulla Exchange, one of the fastest growing exchange companies in Kuwait that has evolved a dynamic way of acknowledging their clients and patrons through complimentary concerts, plays and lectures. The show will feature Bratati Bandopadhyay, a renowned elocutionist and Srabani Sen, a famous exponent of Rabindrasangeet.

Poetry recitation is an ancient and precious art. In fact, it was the oldest oral device used to convey messages in a theological or temporal context. Indeed, recitation has always been held in high regard in the Islamic world. Unlike the Greek world, theater was almost unknown as an art form to the Arab world, and poetry recitation was the most important poetic activity. Poetry was considered one of the key sources of knowledge. After all, the Koran was written in verse. And, over the years, the art of reciting the Koran developed with a stress on articulation, great variations in timbre and melody, with the textual dynamics of the sacred text often eliciting a highly emotional response. Like other ancient cultures, India too has its own rich and deeply rooted heritage of oral presentation that was practiced in different public spaces including the royal court and temple courtyards. Many rulers became influential patrons of this art form, which they nurtured with their patronage. Later, the British re-energized and introduced the modern concept of elocution in India during the Bengal Renaissance. Thus, this art form was nurtured in Bengal; the region re – embraced it and made it an inherent part of its culture.

Over the years, Bengal saw several noted orators and elocutionists emerge who took this art form further. In the late eighties, a slim young woman armed with an enchanting smile, a captivating stage presence, a herculean memory, an instinctive feel for the written word emerged in the highly competitive world of performing arts in India. When she recited a poem from memory in a darkened auditorium with a spotlight focused on her with soft background music it was as if some magic took place. Her recitation aroused an array of emotions in the audience who were held spell- bound by her rendition. She was Bratati Bandopadhyay, and she had given up a promising career as an economist to pursue her love for poetry.

Sharing her observations on the popularity of elocution as an art form in India, she says, “A few years ago recitations were mostly used to fill in gaps in between musical performances. But the trend changed and, today an elocution item has become a self-sufficient art form and this trend is visible in both cities and the suburbs,” says the master – elocutionist. Bratati’s introduction to the world of letters and words took place at a very young age. A child prodigy, she knew more than 300 poems and rhymes by heart. Brought up on the outskirts of Calcutta, in pristine surroundings, she slowly learned to absorb the beauty of the written word. Her parents, an intellectually and culturally aware couple recognized this unique gift in their child and nourished it to perfection. “I was introduced to the art of recitation by my father,” recalls the elocutionist who has travelled the world with her art form. Her most recent performance was in Australia. “In those days there were no institutions for teaching elocution, but I seemed to have an innate affinity for reciting poems. I remember having won many competitions and would always dedicate the prize to my father.” She practiced her craft and honed it to perfection going on to win the All Bengal Elocution Contest. She sought inspiration from the great minds of Bengal: artists, poets and philosophers and they drove her towards excellence. However, despite the varied influences the Indian Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore is a poet-philosopher she eulogises. “It is to Tagore that I surrender myself.

The content of Tagore’s poetry is therapeutic. His poetry is a beacon of light in darkness and uplifts me in moments of sadness and rejuvenates my soul every day,” she says. Within a short time, Bratati pioneered a resurgence of interest in poetry with her carefully structured performances that presented poetry as not just dry recitation but as a performing art also involving light and sound. The lost art of poetry, which had given in to more animated forms of entertainment slowly and steadily regained ground. Soon, she became a household name among Bengali speaking people of the world.

Bratati’s dream was to take poetry to every corner of the country and to further her dream in 1990 she set up ‘Kabyayan’, an institution to teach the fine art of elocution. Today, the institute that has branches across West Bengal nurtures and mentors more than 800 students, some of whom are elocutionists of very high standing. “As a child I felt the lack of a systematic training programme for elocution. Today, recitation in Bengal has become a brand and attracts many practitioners of various ages. In my institute, Kabyayan, I have almost 800 students learning in various centres. I would consider that to be my most important social contribution.”

In 1996, came a watershed moment in the life of Bratati Bandopadhyay and the development of recitation in India as an art form. Bratati staged ‘Ek Sandhyay Eka Bratati’ (An evening alone with Bratati), a three-hour non –stop solo recital. Having been present at that show, I can still recall the sense of awe and disbelief that this artist managed to conjure with the effective and creative use of sound and light, creating an experience never before seen or heard on the regional stage. It will not be wrong to say that the recital changed the presentation of poetry in Bengal. “In 1996 my first solo show turned out to be an enormous success. It was a highlight of my career. I had been performing since 1983, but there was always a burning desire to go beyond the run of the mill. My first solo was not only a turning point for me, but perhaps also for the art form to some extent. Ever since, I have been walking the path, and there is still a very long way to go. I am still exploring new avenues of creativity and presentation and the experience is fascinating.” Her zeal to develop her craft led her to amalgamate different forms of art. Using music, light and stagecraft she created presentations that were a cut above the rest. “A few years ago, elocutionists were often asked to play the role of “ghoshok”, who announced the names of other artists in various programmes, and recitation was used as filler. But I tried to change this concept. And today, I think I have been successful to some extent. Earlier, people used to dream of becoming a vocalist or a dancer, but now people also dream of becoming an elocutionist.”

Over the years, Bratati has released more than 60 albums that have explored different nuances of recitation. She has travelled the world with her craft, and she will be here in Kuwait to celebrate the works of Tagore, Nazrul Islam and Sukanto Bhattacharya at an event sponsored by Al Mulla Exchange Company. “Times change, each epoch brings its own greatness and creativity, and each generation speaks its own language. The style of Tagore was quite different from the style of Nazrul and Sukanto, and each of them has played an important role to enrich Bengali literature.” This show presented by the Bengali Cultural Society on May 22 is Bratati’s second performance in Kuwait, and this time it is a dual presentation also featuring Srabani Sen to be held at the Indian Embassy Auditorium.