EKOK

Another apocalypse, another side of Rupam Islam.

The man knows how to pick his moments. He’s timed his well marketed satire yet again amidst the hot humid Kolkata in the throes of another probable wave of the virus, in times of murkier commotion, uncertainty with the average man losing faith on the system that keeps him going.

It’s been 10 years commendably with a steady increase of newer audiences, Rupam’s well articulated poetic autonomy carries on with his mastery in stitching through his creations carefully, presenting a more than three hour solo performance of satirity on addiction, administrative politics, religion, after-life, literature, freedom of expression, extortion, voice of untimely death, betrayal and protest against the unruly.

His trademark philosophy of betrayal in love, with which he launched an invasion decades back and conquered very many balladish youngsters over time, still come brilliantly handy while knitting a sublime yet engaging mesh of emotions through his music. His signature 3-4 chords progressive-rhythm guitar playing, accompanying his singing kept the audience in this mid monsoon houseful solo act enthralled, as he compulsively explained the seeds of thoughts which got him to write the pieces he belted out while strumming his ‘mayabi dondo – which is ashhole his prized baddo jontro’ !

It actually is quite a privilege for a writer composer to have gotten the attention of a houseful theatre (with an army of fanbase-club security on duty, aggressively restricting the audience from speaking to each other, shooting any audio/video footage of the show while their ‘Guru’ or Dada’ – as he is fondly addressed by his fans ) while he speaks sings plays and sometimes with permission from the audience yells a few abuses in high pitch from the stage.

Y’see ‘Shuorer Bachha and Bokachoda’ are standard Bengali abuses which cannot/must not be a challenging taboo for a writer musician performing on stage. Roddur Roy may just be a one off case of extremism but this is not an opportunity a singer/ songwriter/ composer gets often or even ever.

Rupam’s successful EKOK gives him this opportunity to explain the thoughts behind his songs, all the why’s/how’s of his creations which many cow-dung headed listener might miss otherwise. It gives him time and attention to speak about his life’s work, opine about anything he pleases from an exclusive space he created working meticulously hard…by the inch over the years, weaving the curiosity in the audience’s mind to know more of the man himself. To get closer to the larger than life – Fossil’s front man. To be able to touch his philosophy and experience it from within his uninhibited perspective.

Freedom of expression, of speech is about what it is. University students of India driving protest movements have reached out to him in the past for support and he extended the maximum always. Be it JNU, Jadavpur, be it the suicide of Rohit Vemula, he with his word’s arsenal has always been there. And in the process he wrote sang and got deeper in understanding why ..

“Shorger poth o keno etto ondhokaar Shorger poth o keno etto rohoshher Shorger pothe ami obhijatri aaj Amar dehe churi dhoke moynatodonter “

His take on the cedar pine cypress trees with which the cross of Christ was made and the pragmatic perspective he derives from it (like the trees) sure gives hope to a society and a generation in crossroads today, but the death of a glow-worm inside his car on the highway on his way to a concert, is a very personal tragedy he shared on a slant…throwing an invisible net of hope over the audience

The audience though may not be as divided as he thinks today after all these years from his school teaching days ( ** though crusade for Mamta Agarwal may just not be only about his son spending some time in that school). His love for literature history and music with his hunger to express the fire in his belly sustains him here again on stage in front of a full house eagerly hogging his gibberish. Evolution is continuous, inevitable and definitely fuelled by many Joan of Arcs. What stays on…is his trademark..

“priyotoma koto trauma dari comma ache joma oshomapto pore prapto bajeyapto torjoma…

charo kabbo pore bhabbo apatoto khide pete sorry kaka aro taka amar lagbe druto rate-e..”

Old but stand-alone songs do have a life of their own. Can you sell them in new packages ? We don’t need Daniken Mona Pakrashi or Lahirida of Asha Audio to answer that.

Hoytoh jay …baar baar jay tai dosh bochor… and ebar jelaay jelaay. ‘Kalimpong ‘, ‘pocket-e guro niye toilet e’ – eshob ekhono chole ? So eshob jara bolchen aate gha-kheye – kindly shut the fuck up !