A Melodious Culture of Bangladesh : The Folk songs of Bangla

Bangladesh has a rich musical culture. There is a genre of songs for just about any occasion

Ranked eighth out of 104 countries on the Happy Planet Index in 2016, Bangladesh is a nation that is happy just because the country is always ready for a jig. Bangladeshis are deeply rooted in music and weave vibrant lyrics that define their lives and tradition. You will often find fishermen break into a robust melody in the water and tired farmers string verses of their own songs of golden lands and the promise of good crops. Bauls will entertain you on train journeys and Robi Thakur will keep you company on rainy afternoons. Here are some genres of songs closest to the Bangladeshi heart.

Bhatiali: The word Bhatiali is a derivation of the word bhata, which means ebb or downstream. Bhatiali is best described as a category of song that is sung on water, or in boats by boatmen going downstream. The lyrics too, talk of rivers, seas and shores, and are usually hearty, loud songs boatmen can sing together. Popular bhatialis such as a slow number like “Amae Bhashaili Re” or a more upbeat tune like “Nao Chariya Dey” usually have a subtler subtext, under more apparent wordings.

Nazrul Geeti: Bengali poet Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam wrote many songs in his lifetime but the most popular of these were the songs he wrote on war and uprising, earning him the title of ‘Bidrohi Kobi’ or ‘Revolutionary Poet’. Songs like “Chol, Chol, Chol”, expressing strong emotions like rebellion and motivation were widely used to bolster spirits in the Bangladesh Liberation War. His style was powerful and direct, with captivating beats. Assuredly, if anything needed to be stood up for in his era, Kazi Nazrul did it through his most powerful weapon- music.

Baul Geeti: With songs finding roots in Sufism and mysticism, Baul Geeti is a wide variety of folk music, divided into further sub-branches. Bauls, long haired and high-pitched, usually carry their most common instrument called the ektara and sing of love and longingness to be with the one. The beauty of these songs lies in the fact that they are composed as they are verbalized- many of them never even get scripted.

Rabindra Sangeet: The world-famous poet, composer, and playwright Rabindranath Tagore has contributed a lot to the music culture of Bangladesh. While shared by many other countries, his famous dance-dramas like Chitrangada, Shyama and Tasher Desh are widely quoted and performed in Bangladeshi schools and drama schools, it perhaps rivals the influence of Shakespeare in the Bengali world. What sets Robi Thakur’s style apart from other musicians is the fluidity with which one tune mingles into the other. His music is highly emotive, expressing a spectrum of moods from ecstasy to anguish to eroticism.

Other genres of Bangladeshi music consist of adhunik geeti, songs too modern to fall into traditional categories but popular for their relatively modern lyrics and musical composition. While the genres change and adapt to the times, what remains constant is this country’s love for dance and music and its rich history of the same.