Noted Tagore singer Mahadeb Ghose's five Rabindra Sangeet albums -- “Krishnokoli Ami Tarei Boli”, “Amar Shokol Dukher Prodeep”, “Amar Poran Jaha Chaye”, “Hey Chiro Nuton” and “Amon Din-e Tarey Bola Jaye” – was launched yesterday marking the 156th birth anniversary of Tagore.

Produced by Laser Vision Limited, the launching ceremony was held at Shawkat Osman Memorial Auditorium of Central Public Library, Shahbagh in Dhaka. 

While rendering Tagore song, Mahadeb Ghose emphasises on the purity of lyrics and melody. “The beauty, inner feelings and depth of Tagore songs attract me greatly. Understanding the lyrics while maintaining precise melody prior to performing a song is a must. I have recorded various songs from all parjaya -- prakriti, pooja, prem, swadesh and bichitra -- along with dhrupad, khyal, baul and kirtan-ang songs for the albums,” said Mahadeb Ghose.

“Rabindranath Tagore composed his songs taking melodic essence from diverse musical genres and tunes from various regions of the world. He enriched our traditional folk music revisiting melodies of our roots. A blend of Eastern and Western melodies are merged into his compositions. If someone properly understands Tagore compositions, they can become a good composer of adhunik songs. It is evident and revealed by renowned singer-composer Hemanta Mukherjee,” added the artiste.

About his distinctive rendition style,  Ghose says that he first visualises the imageries depicted in Tagore songs, and then performs the numbers incorporating his own life experiences with the melody. Apart from recording popular and romantic songs, the artiste has lent his voices to lesser-known songs for the albums.     

Two other Rabindra Sangeet albums -- “Amar Hiyar Majhey”, produced by Sangeet, Bangladesh and “Amar Praner Manush Achhey Pran-e”, produced by Gathani, India are to his credits.

Mahadeb Ghose learnt music from legendary gurus including Abdul Ahad, one of the first Bengali Muslims to learn Tagore songs at Santiniketan during Rabindranath Tagore's lifetime and to become a Tagore-exponent; Kalim Sharafi, Sudhin Das, Ajit Roy, Neelima Sen and Subhas Choudhury.

With institutional training from Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA), he is now the vice principal and senior teacher at Rabindra Sangeet Department of BAFA. A special grade singer of Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar, he regularly performs on stage shows and satellite TV channels in Bangladesh and India. He has also performed in Kuwait and Australia. He founded Rabirashmi, a Rabindra Sangeet organisation, in 1998. He is the senior joint secretary of Bangladesh Rabindra Sangeet Shilpi Sangstha; organising secretary of Bangladesh Sangeet Sangathan Samonnay Parishad and director of Rabirashmi.