Calcutta Music Blog

Mohiner Ghoraguli - The first Bangla Band from Kolkata

Established in the 1970s during a period of stagnation in Bangla music, when commercial film songs were the dominant market force, the lyrics (and to some extent the compositions) of leader Gautam Chattopadhyay were radically new. They were of a very personal or social nature, similar to the urban folk movement led by Bob Dylan in the 60s. Though they were almost unknown in their time, in recent years they have undergone a critical re-evaluation much like the Velvet Underground. This can not be understood without a little background on the Jibonmukhi movement.

In the early 90s, Suman Chattopaddhay (now called Kabir Suman) revolutionised Bangla music by writing songs about everyday life, ordinary people and burning social issues. He gave voice to the feelings of a generation and in the process opened the floodgates on a number of artists who tried to emulate Suman. The focus shifted from mellow melodies, recycled lyrics and separate composer-songwriter-performers to strong lyrical content (written by the singer himself) and a fresh sound with significant influences from Western folk and rock (Suman was mentored by Pete Seeger). Bangla music would never be the same again.

This gave rise to a genre of songwriting called Jibonmukhi (About life), a term coined by Nachiketa, the first to follow in Suman’s footsteps. It left a profound influence on the music scene. Though Suman never accepted the title, he was considered the de-facto pioneer and leader of this new breed of singer-songwriters. It was at this point that some begun to recognise the fact that something similar had been attempted previously by Moheener Ghoraguli. In recognition of this renewed interest, Gautam released a compilation of Mohiner Ghoraguli covers by contemporary artists, Aabaar Bochhor Kuri Pore in 1995. They have since come to be considered an unrecognised pioneers of the jibonmukhi style and ethics, decades ahead of their times.

They are sometimes also credited as the pioneers of the flourishing of Bangla bands in the new millennium. This is debatable as their songwriting was strongly rooted in Bangla folk and also American urban folk, while modern Bangla bands like Fossils and Insomnia are influenced by grunge.

Their signature song is Prithibita Naki, a reflection on how television creates urban alienation. It has been covered by many artists.

Style
Moheener Ghoraguli (or Mohiner Ghoraguli) was formed by a group of Kolkata musicians led by Gautam Chattopadhyay towards the end of 1974. Initially, they called themselves ‘Saptarshi’, and finally settled on the name ‘Moheener Ghoraguli’ proposed by Ranjon Ghoshal. The name was borrowed from a poem ‘Ghora’ by Jibanananda Das. Around the same time, other Bengali bands such as Souls and Feedback were forming across the border in Bangladesh.

The 1970s were not a propitious time for an experimental group like Moheener Ghoraguli. It was the heyday of classic Bengali singers such as Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, Sandhya Mukhopadhyay, Shyamal Mitra, etc – soloists who were responsible for creating the canon of adhunik gaan or ‘modern Bengali songs’. These were songs that updated the tradition of Tagore and Nazrul. They were traditional in their instruments and arrangements, and traditional in their themes and lyrics. They often appeared for the first time in the soundtrack of Bengali movies before getting wider release. Indeed, composers like Salil Chowdhury maintained a bank of their compositions, to use when they were requested to score a film. These were usually typical romantic songs, fluffy and unmemorable in their lyrical content. The situation has been compared to the mellow, commercial Tin Pan Alley music in USA that led to the rebellious rock’n'roll movement.

In such a conservative climate, Moheener Ghoraguli, with its unorthodox musical compositions and strange choice of song themes, failed to gain much of a fan base. Its songs dealt with everyday topics -politics, poverty, injustice, revolution, love, loneliness, even begging and prostitution. Gautam Chattopadhyay had strong political beliefs; in common with many intelligent and idealistic young men of his generation, he was involved in socialist/communist politics during the 1960s and 1970s. (According to former bandmate Abraham Mazumdar, Gautam may have been involved in the Naxalite movement as well. This political outlook was reflected in the musical output of the band.

The type of music that Moheener Ghoraguli pioneered, though debatably, had the seeds of now very popular Jibonmukhi gaan or ‘Songs of ordinary life’. Two decades after Moheen, singers like Kabir Suman, Nochiketa and Anjan Dutta took Jibonmukhi gaan to a new level of popularity, but the origins of the genre can be found in the songs of Moheener Ghoraguli.

The band recorded with Western instruments and also experimented in a variety of musical styles, some of which must have jarred with the sensibilities of its audience. Today, these compositions sound quite contemporary, leading many to conclude that Moheener Ghoraguli was indeed ahead of its time. The band freely borrowed elements from baul shongeet, the folk music of rural Bengal . It can therefore lay claim to be the original Bengali folk-rock band. Many bands since Moheen have adopted similar innovations, among them Feedback, Dolchhut and Bangla. They also borrowed both in terms of lyrics and tune from western music of the 70s. For example, although the group never acknowledged on their album covers, their song “Bhalobashi Tomay Tai Janai Gaaney” is a direct lift (both in terms of lyrics and tune) from the Jim Croce song “I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song”.

Original Band Members:

Famous Songs by Mohiner Ghoraguli

1. Introduction to Mohiner Ghoraguli
2. Mitthe Swapno – Mohiner Ghoraguli (An unreleased Mohiner Ghoraguli song that was performed by Anupam Roy at the First Rock concert on 17th February, 2007 at Ambedkar Bhavan, Bangalore. Song Credits: Vocals: Anupam Roy, Lyrics:Ranjon Ghoshal, Music: Pradip Chattopadhyay, Arranged & Conducted: Abraham Mazumder
3. Phire Aasbo – Mohiner Ghoraguli
4. Ei Muhurte – Mohiner Ghoraguli – Abar Bochor Kuri Por
5. Shongbigno Pakhikul O Kolkata Bishoyok – Mohiner Ghoraguli (This is the rare and original song from the 1977 EP release – Shongbigno Pakhikul O Kolkata Bishoyok. Popularly known as ‘Runway’, this song is one of MG’s most famous works. Song Credits: Lyrics: Ranjon Ghoshal, Music: Goutam Chattopadhyay, Vocals: Tapesh Bandopadhyay, Vocal harmony: Tapas Das, Guitars: Goutam Chattopadhyay & Pradip Chattopadhyay
6. Ghore Ferar Gaan – Mhiner Ghoraguli

Listen to selected music videos by Mohiner Ghoraguli selected from Youtube.

1. amar priyo cafe.
2. ami daan dike roi na.
3. bangali koreche vagaban.
4. bhalobashi.
5. cricket.
6. dhadar theke jotil tumi.
7. Dishehara Aamar Mon.
8. ei muhurte.
9. Ganga.
10. hai valobashi.
11. jao chere chole.
12. jao chere chole.
13. kato ki korar ache.
14. manush chena dai.
15. maymanshinha giti.
16. parashoner jolanjoli.
17. parashoner jolanjoli.
18. prithibita naki choto hote hote.
19. sara raat.
20. shono shudhijon.
21. telephone.
22. vikhite jabo.