| Told by | Dr. Pradip Ghosh |
| Obtained by | Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, Suranjita Paul |
| Date | 11 July, 2016 |
| Place | Sangeet Bhavan, Emerald Bower Campus, Rabindra Bharati University |
| About Dr. Pradip Ghosh | Dr. Pradip Ghosh is a highly acclaimed musicologist in West Bengal. |
| Tags | Calcutta, 17th century, Job Charnock, 1690, Seth Basak, Kirtan, Portuguese, Bramhan, Kayastha, Kaetpara, Bagbazar, Maratha Bridge, Ganges, Sutanuti, |
| Language | Bengali |
Dr. Pradip Ghosh speaks :
Verbatim:
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Verbatim by: Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee
Translation:
What we know now of Kolkata, that is before Job Charnock came here in the 17th century, wasn’t very invested in music as we know today. Residents of Kolkata, mainly the business classes, they held programs for their own entertainment. Among businessmen, Seth, Basak, who were mainly Textile merchants, would held several programs to commemorate their traditions in their palaces. Baiji Dancers were also common in this respect, and also the Kirtan . The period I am talking about here is near the end of Mughal Rule, in the 17th century… these people would bring singers and performers to their houses for entertainment.
Job Charnock came to Kolkata in the year 1690. But let me tell you before that, that all the settlement in this part took place on the banks of the river Ganga, which mainly comprised of Portuguese settlers. We also have to remember that it was the Business classes, which had come here. According to historical records, Brahmins, Kayasthas or Baidhyas did not used to come to settle here. The same reason, we won’t find Kayashtha Para, Bamun Para or Baidya Para. On the contrary, you will find Benetola here. Portuguese, Dutch and other merchants used to come. If you do a survey, you might find a lot of big dwelling houses of these merchants on the banks of this side of the Ganga. Bagbazar and such areas are all the same. But the Maratha Canal that was dug was later; after the attack of Maratha. So, these types of houses of the merchants are also found in and near Hoogli, though all were situated on the banks, because in those times, the river was the only communicable source for the people. There were no road or rail transport, thus the river was very important for communication. The merchant classes, mainly the textile merchants, used to work with threads, or Sutas, thus the name Sutanuti came into being. Apart from the manufactures, who sold products to the foreigners, there also were investors. These investors, or Seth, Basaks, were of two types. One was located in the Hoogli district’s Tribeni where they had a centre. The other was located at Dhaka. Thus we find the Seth Basaks in these two regions. Education came very late to Kolkata. Long before in Kolkata, Nabadwip was the hub centre for education.
The foreigners, be it the Portuguese, Dutch or British, they used to set up Bajras (or cruise boats) where they would indulge in music and dance; and here Baijis culture was also be common. We can’t now prove whether Classical Music was prevalent there or not. The court music or art music was not common, if not the rulers took the performers there. Whether the performers came to the invitation of the foreigners is a matter of doubt. But lighter songs, which may or may not be based on Raags might have been prevalent, but pure Classical Music came to Kolkata long after this time.
Translated by: Ankana Das.
Picture Courtesy: Google
Edited & Designed: Ms. Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University