“My poet, is it thy delight to see
Thy creation through my eyes
And to stand at the portals
Of my ears silently
To listen to thine own eternal harmony?” Rabindranath Tagore

This is a prayer that induces people to give a respectful vow to the person they love dearly and when another disciple starts pouring her soul to a Godly human being, Tagore in a unique way, we just get stunned by its newness that she follows; there she continues…

“Please accept my prayer. ‘Geetabitan’ is the most precious shelter of my life. When I hide at times, in search of relief – where I delve deep in search of solace and where I plunge in search of expressions for emotions, which are, even at this age, new to me. It is from “Geetabitan”, I found the courage to explore and sing all of it.

No need to mention that it was not at all an easy task. But as because I felt my Poet God’s presence throughout the path, as because ‘He’ was there with me all the way, inspiring me by muttering the ‘His’ bravely words in my mind, guiding me by my hands when I felt weak; at last the final day came, when I proudly announce that ‘Yes’, I have completed offering my prayers. My God, please accept it.”

And as a serious and devoted performer of Tagore songs, she thought it was her duty to pay the homage to the great poet and that could only be achieved by worshipping him with all of his own creations.

For a long time she had been thinking of a prayer which no other could give ‘Him’. Meanwhile, she felt the absence of a complete archive of his musical creations which will not only help the 'Tagore song' singers and lovers, but also the Tagore researchers from the entire world. So, why not go for a total set of recorded Geetabitan!

Therefore she started that Herculean task and that was not merely a challenge but her melodic prayer to ‘His’ creations.

 
 
The recording of the songs was started on and from 9th February, 2006 and was completed in 3 and a half months time on 23rd June, 2006. Day in and out she rehearsed and captured the songs; sometimes she felt extremely tired for the excessive toil, but she never responded to her fatigue and strength and at last she gave a totality to what she once took an oath of as a token of her prayer.

The album was officially released by Legendary Suchitra Mitra on 8th August, 2006 at Kalamandir auditorium in presence of the other maestros of Rabindrasangeet: Maya Sen, Ritu Guha, Sumitra Sen and Dwijen Mukhopadhya.

Exclusive Rhythm

 
  1. Total number of songs in Tagore’s Geetabitan is about 2023 which are tuned by Rabindranath himself. Complete recording of 2023 songs was done in 3 and a half months time. Moreover none had ever sung all the 2023 songs of Geetabitan earlier.

  2. The highest number of songs recorded in 21st June, 2006 and the number is 118.

“Now, I am feeling content rather than exhausted. Now, I am feeling as if I have touched the feet of that Godly Human Being and ‘He’ is blessing me from his heart, simply because, I was never dejected by ‘Him’.” Says she at the completion of her goal.

And she concludes her prayer, quoting one of ‘His’ famous lines…

“Take this heart of mine
Let it rock with your own rhythm” Rabindranath Tagore

Ekla Geetabitan