The Barpali Days

Oct 2, 2016

Prabhudutta Pradhan : The making of Rangabati

Prabhudutta Pradhan is the music composer of the all time great Sambalpuri song “Rangabati”. He was born during the pre-independence era of India to a family who were converted to Christians three generations back. His father Late Pravas Chandra Pradhan was working as a head clerk in the Forest Department of Odisha. As early as at the age of three years Prabhudutta started learning music under the mentorship of his father. He was assigned by his father to sing bhajans or the Hindu religious songs at home. He is educated only up to Matriculation i.e. Class 10^th and never seen the entrance gate of any colleges. Later he went to Banaras in Uttar Pradesh to learn playing of Indian music instrument tabla from Padmashree Pandit Jadunath Supkar. In the year 1969 he joined All India Radio(AIR) at Sambalpur station as an instrumentalist at a monthly salary of Ra.216/- only. In the studio he was playing ethnic Indian music instruments like dhol, dholak, mandal, tabla, sanchar and mrudung. He was sincere towards his work as if music is a passion. His wife Arati Pradhan says, every night her husband use to play tabla seating near the bed till 1’O clock in the mid night. His riyaj (practice) of tabla in the dead of the night not only disturbed her sleep, but use to ward off any ghosts if roaming in the periphery.

[Rangabati original video]

But it was only in the year 1975 he got a breakthrough when he composed the music for Rangabati song. The script of this song was written by Mitrabhanu Gauntia. It was sung by Jitendra Haripal in the male voice, while the female voice was lent by Krishna Patel. In this chart buster song Prabhudatta directed pancha badya (five musical instruments i.e. dhol, nishan, tasha, muhuri and jhanj). During the year 2003 he retired from Akashbani or All India Radio.

Seventies and eighties of the last Century was the era when the consumer market was yet to be flooded with the tape recorders. Radio transmission was the sole succor for the music lovers. People were rejoicing when so ever Rangabati song was transmitted in the radio. Rangabati is unarguably the most popular folk song of Western Odisha for the past forty years. In the year 2007 Rangabati song was played in the tableau of Odisha as part of the Republic Day celebrations at Rajpath of New Delhi.

[Odisha Sangreet Natak Academy Award, 2002]

But copying the popular songs is not something new to the music industry. Over the past seven decades many big battles were fought in Bollywoood over the infringement of copyrights. Likewise in the recent past Oriya music industry erupted with the release of a new version of Sambalpuri song “Rangabati”. We have witnessed this chart buster was copied by the newly groomed genre of Oriya music industry of eastern Odisha. It is highly disgusting to watch the remake of "Rangabati". One who copy the things from other will never be able to progress in life. It marks the end of his/her career. A copy cat will be addicted to easy way out to gain the quick name and fame. And he/she will lose the creativity in their work. If you are an artist let whatever your discipline may it be, you need to keep alive your originality. Once you copy the work of others, than you would never be able to retrieve in your career.

[Felicitation by the Chief Minister of Odisha Mr.Naveen Pattnaik]

Even in Olympic Games they play an anthem along with the music so as to unite the whole world. But this new version of Rangabati divided our state Odisha. There was uproar in the entire length and breadth of Western parts of Odisha. The Rangabati song that was sang by Sona Mohapatra was a distortion of the original song. People of West Odisha condemned the copy version of Rangabati saying it’s a Kutkia song.

[Felicitation by the then Deputy Prime Minister L.K.Advani.
Could be seen Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on the right]

On showing the Mtv Coke Studio song of Rangabati to Deba Bariha a tribal person of Barpali he sharply reacts to the remix song saying “e Katkia mane kana bujhbe Sambalpuri, tankar buar dine kebe gana gaithile kaen”. He says the remix has been made with the word “he ranga, he ranga, ranga ranga re”. And it tantamount to calling a transgender in an unacceptable way. Seldom Ram Sampath is aware that in Koshali language the word “ranga” refers to a transgender. Pradyumna Tripathy a Congress leader of Barpali combat saying Rangabati is a folk song, but what was the need to remix it with the patriotic punch line of “bande Utkala jananai, bande Utkala jananai”.

On the other hand Biswajit Pradhan who works as a Team Leader with Mindtree at Bangalore sharply expresses his views. He says “The original song of Rangabati has got just 92,000 views, whereas the dubious version of Sona Mahapatra’s song garnered hundred times more at around 97,00,000+ page hits. But Youtube is not a yardstick to measure the success rate of Sona Mahapatra’s Rangabati song”.

On questioning Prabhudutta Pradhan the music composer of the original track, he says over the forty years things have drastically changed. The new generation tend to love the songs that are sang with a vulgar language (aslila bhasa). Softly he says, at the age of 73 whom should I fight with. He points out, in Sambalpuri language there is no pronunciation of the word “la”, where as Sona Mohapatra sang it as “laijauche matha go”. It should have been “naijauche matha”. He appeals to the new generation to work hard on innovating new skills in their own field of art, instead of copying from others. He appeals to every artist to create just one song at par with the standards that has been set while making Rangabati, so as to accomplish a fulfilled life.

kiranbima@gmail.com
WhatsApp# +918249314972
E.Kiran Mohan(The Writer)
C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (M.D)
Main Road
Barpali-768029
Dist.Bargarh,Odisha
India

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Aug 25, 2016

11:45 AM

Akash Agrawal : Riding the heights of Himalaya’s

It's the human brain that makes us stand apart from other primates on earth. For time immemorial we the human beings have got the thirst and hunger to reach the new heights. Exactly this is what driving the spirit of Akash Agrawal of Barpali to ride a bike since his college days. This young man of around 27 years old is a Marwari businessman. Apart from taking risk while doing business, he got the unquenched thirst to undertake the life threatening risks in adventure sports. This young man is passionate about life. At every stage he tried his best to excel in life. He tested the ground for ice skating, observed the air to do paragliding and measured the depth of the water to do water skiing. Apart from all these he got a long standing passion for riding bikes. And for him bike means no ordinary 100cc phatphati(bike). He is fond of riding only Royal Enfield Bullet. In terms of elegance this 500cc duel engine bike could be ranked as the Harley Davidson bike of India. One who owns this bike in India is considered to be a man of aristocracy.

Through social media he got to know about few young men who were planning for a bike expedition to the Himalayas. Akash made a minute planning to undertake this adventure of his life time. But his parents at home were skeptical about this move of their son. His father is well aware how hazardous Indian roads are. In an average in every other minute a person dies on the roads of India because of motor accidents. Many afternoons his mother did not partake food until Akash returns from Bargarh after doing his business assignment. Akash went to a motor garage for two months to learn the basics of bike repairing. Apart from repairing a punctured tube of the bike, he learnt how to replace a clutch wire and change a brake disc pad. He learnt how to clean a carburetor and all other sundry jobs so as he could repair his bike on his own, if it ever breaks down while riding the heights of Himalayas.

Akash caught a train from Odisha and reached New Delhi. He joined a poll of 17 other bikers gathered from across India. He hired a Royal Enfield Bullet from Karol Bagh market of New Delhi. Apart from a bike he hired every safety gadgets that are available in the market. He did not compromise with the equipments because he knew apart from his parents, his wife would be looking forward for his safe return journey to home. He hired a full cover helmet, a jacket, knee guards, elbow guards, shoulder guards, eye glass, surgical gloves and biking gloves.

He got introduced with Srijeet who hails from Kerala. That man came in a bike all the way from the Southern tip of India to reach the Northern top. On 20^th May 2016 early in the morning around 4.30AM the expedition started. There were eighteen participants riding around 15 Royal Enfield Bullets. On the first day of the journey they travelled around 500kms in tropical summer temperature of around 50 degree Centigrade. By evening at 6.00PM they reached Pathankot. In the first day itself their bodies were completely dehydrated. They checked into a hotel and rested in the night.

Early morning of 21^st May they resumed their journey. After travelling for 100 kms the hill area started. As compared to the previous day’s 50 degrees, the temperature sharply skidded to less than 10 degree Centigrade. On the mountain roads they travelled for 200kms and by evening reached Srinagar, the Capital city of Kashmir. It is a city with the most scenic beauty. It is the place where many Hindi movie songs were shoot over the past 65 years showing hero and heroine dancing to the popular Bollywood songs. At the check-in point to the city the Indian Army personnel hedged them. They enquired about the motive of so many people riding bikes. They checked the identity proofs of every individual of this gang. The army personnel told, there is some social unrest in the city. This Bullet gang was directed to check into any hotel and not to roam on the streets at night. By the way neither Akash nor his gang members had left with any energy in their mortal body even to lift their eyelids. After checking in to the hotel they fell on the bed as if dead bodies.

On Day-3 this Royal Enfield gang traveled a distance of another 250kms from Srinagar to Kargil via Sonemarg and Zojila Pass. This road is considered to be the world’s toughest road to travel because of the steep mountains. Entire stretch of the root was lashed with rains and the road was converted to sludge.

On Day-4 they traveled a length of another 210kms through the world’s highest cold desert. Until here the road was in good condition as it has been well maintained by Border Road Organisation (BRO).

On reaching Leh they were completely exhausted and wanted to take a brake for a day to nurture their physical bodies. On Day-6 they headed for Pangong lake. It is a place with no human habitation. They had to dig the earth to fix the tents on open sky to spend the night. On Day-7 they reached Nubra valley crossing through sand dunes. On Day-8 they headed for Khardung La pass. It is the world’s highest motor able road at the height of 18,380 feets. Few of them encountered difficulty to respire due to lack of oxygen. Despite encountering numerous physical odds, their spirit was soaring high while looking at the magnificent mountain peaks of Himalayas. By evening they reached Leh.

On Day-9 they ride 230kms to reach Sarchu. Overnight they stayed in a rented tent where the temperature was -17 Degree Celsius. On Day-10 they headed for Manali via Bara-lacha Pass. Let how farther one goes, as if a bird he had to return home before the sun set. And the heart of Akash was throbbing to return home at the earliest, so as he could cuddle and play with his eleven months old baby boy Rajveer.

kiranbima@gmail.com

E.Kiran Mohan (The Writer)

C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (MD)

Tehsil Chowk,

At/PO. BARPALI – 768 029

Dist. Bargarh, Orissa, India

Cell # 91-99-371-20565

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