Lust

At times when stray thoughts and raging scent of yours, clouds the mind with the memory of only weekend spent together in a trance, it just doesn’t seem like last week. Feels like a year has probably passed since then.

The lustful soul relies on those ragged and jagged memory while the eager heart waits with selfish vigor for the unnerving allure of seductive tigress in the wilderness. 

The face and the mask

The face and the mask signify a constant tussle between self and the self-proclaimed. A growing rift between Mukh and Mukhosh. The appearance may in some cases probably be intermittent but the effects undoubtedly far reaching for all. Even when it is buried deep inside the darkest of conscience after years of refinement, the web of mystery always sticks to the skin. Either learn to live with it or be prepared to be chased by it for eternity.

 It is a structured layer of defense to the darkest corner of the mind. Each segment represents a face to the outside world, varying by the degree of penetration the spectator holds. Each and every individual among us probably has it. The very stratum of this hypocritical society is glued with it; witness and performer alike.

These typical arrangements sometimes do posses a challenge when the implanted face suddenly finds prominence and refuses to buzz from the lime light. So begins the tug of war. The eternal good now stands to question its own makings. The creation slowly but surely overpowering the creator imparts its own wisdom and strength along with the darkest of desires. 

The metamorphosis is now complete. 

Ironically the very creator who earlier succumbed to the slow yet determined encroachment of the “face” now finds solace in those very corners which incubated the victorious in the first place. The painstakingly slow healing process of battered self takes its own due course of time until at some point it becomes powerful enough to challenge the adversary. 

Without realizing much; this constant whimsical alterations between the face and the mask becomes a controllable habit after years of conscious and unconscious effort of the duo. They become interchangeable with a panache eventually. The chemistry is as deadly as it can get. The ensuing fire due to the friction attached raises the possibility of burning both along with bunch of other folks having no knowledge whatsoever of the transformation. A cynic would put collateral damage estimate to a modest figure but the devastation is already done with irreversible effects.

There are times when a little willing self retrospection is indeed required to discover the true self, the belongings and the cognizable surroundings. It is always a sad but enduring process of rediscovery.

"And if I show you my dark side
Will you still hold me tonight?"

Faltering steps but a shoulder to lean and take rest. Eyes closed and it's wet everywhere, the trees, buildings.

Eccentricity Unplugged!

A simple Google search doesn't yield anything satisfactory other than suggestions for a herbal medicine. Well, that makes sense. The character is a masterpiece in itself and probably like all other genius of their time, he too will be remembered after building a legacy of his own. A song writer, musician, actor and a person allegedly walking on the tightrope of sanity, spawning some of the greatest work of art via his music.

The transformation from "Bhoomika" to "Janla Kholo"  has indeed questioned many a aspects of the way we see, listen and perceive music. Are these really a transformation of what we ourselves heading towards or do they represent the constant tussle between the conscious and subconscious?  Is this what we really want or what we get? Lots and lots of question. This particular capability of a person probably defies the boundaries in all sense. An aura of mystery is always intriguing and he has a flair for it.

An ensemble of musical entities this person possess. The melodious baul complemented by the eccentric "Janla Kholo". If "Fish Fish" was his ultimate tryst with insanity, the "Langta Bura" crossed all boundaries of social, spiritual and off course musical strata. They each constitute the bricks of a solid foundation. Enabling him to flirt with sanity or rather the insanity within himself. "Pagol, ke na pagol!" as he so convincingly portrays in his music.

Does it remind you of someone else? A person with the very similar traits albeit being a legend himself. A musician to the heart, not alone a songwriter or the guitarist, who plays with the very essence of it, believing only in his instincts. Someone who after having a bitter departure from Pink Floyd came up with the fascinating album  "The Madcap Laughs". and songs like "Dominoes" from the album "Barret". A pioneer in psychedelic folk genre, who went into self imposed seclusion lasting 30 years while composing some of the great numbers of that time. His legacy notwithstanding we have amongst us someone who in his humble capacity conjuring a completely different genre. A genre which amongst many others is his own. He is none other than Shilajit Majumdar and within my limited capacity, I must say he is the Syd Barret of our times.

"Akta Raat" comes first to mind. A singles, to be technically correct, although spanning a good 40 minutes. Not sure how many of those do we get to see these days. None by far. An album composing an evening of "adda, gaan" . 40 minutes of Shilajit unplugged. Different locations, ambiance and mood is captured throughout the journey. You wouldn't regret after hearing it though. The album encompasses many a good numbers. "Swadhinota" being one of the really good melodious one and that too with a provocative yet subtly beautiful lyric. In one of the informal "adda" Shilajit quips "janis kukur e ekmatro prani jeta gaite pare" roughly translates to "you know what, dog is the only animal which can actually sing." and then goes on to explaining it with a crisp example. I am not sure whether he is planning to introduce a full fledged number with a dog next but at least he can draw inspiration from Roger Waters, having strong influence  from Barret then, after the latter's departure in 69 and the former in 71 introducing "Seamus".

“Ami urte cheyechilam” holds a very special place in my heart for its lyrics and the beautiful transformation of music you would not imagine in your wildest dreams. Album is the infamous “Fish Fish”. “Jhinti” depicts the pain and lust of a lover. “Toder ghum peyeche bari ja ” is the one to dance with. “Tor ki phone kharap, amar mon kharap” might become the catch phrase of the generation next. “Bish diye bhat mekhe khai”, depicts the irony of having poison with a staple diet. The song aptly captures the emotional turmoil faced by the protagonist of the movie Bish of Gandu famed Q. 

“Nesha” requires a special mention too. The music first appeared in Bish. The music video again due to the rebellious stance enacted a night of illicit adventure with explicit visual contents. A feat however unimaginable that time was executed with a panache by the duo Shilajit and Q. 

The list is endless and prone to innumerable interpretation due to the very eccentric yet subtly confusing factor called Shilajit. The portrayal of Das babu in Gandu only affirms the strong artistic base of his. “Le Pocha”, a documentary based on Bangla Band courtesy Q, founds him explaining the rebellious nature with his dark humor and sarcasm at its best. Y2K(Sex Krome Asiteche) a subversive cult movie from Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute directed by Chandril features him as a roadside-Romeo, drinking hooch and singing "Juicy Jolie", which itself has strong lyrics to say the least. Thereafter strongly denouncing the intellectuals by his trademark strong language and probably signifying the class struggle with a hint towards leftist liberalism.

The opportunities we missed in the 60's and 70’s has come back to haunt us through this musical architect of our generation. The majority of people may not relish or cherish his music now apart from the popular numbers. Yet his masterstrokes are hard to ignore by all. The generation which has grown up on his music needs no introduction or any other names to recognize the genius in this man but a time will come when a musical revolution will sweep us again after Gautam Chattopadhay. We will be reminded again "you and I and dominoes, time goes by...".