RANJAN BEZBARUAH, SINGER, WRITER: PRACHYA : THE FIRST SANSKRIT BAND FROM INDIA'S NORTH EAST

'Prachya', the first Sanskrit Band from N E, launched
@ SriTirupati Balaji Mandir , Guwahati, Assam on 31st . January, 2017.

FRESH WORDS, FAMILIAR MUSIC : SANSKRIT BAND 'PRACHYA':
A band to perform songs in Sanskrit to promote language

Smita Bhattacharyya
The Telegraph, Jorhat, Jan. 6, 2017

In a region that abounds with bands, Prachya's venture stands apart. A band where the musicians will belt out songs in Sanskrit, Prachya will present original and translated versions of folk and semi-classical songs of the region.

Formed by Ranjan Bezbaruah, who translated ‘Saare Jahan se accha’ a National TV channel that was aired on Independence Day, Prachya will have its first stage show at the Sri Tirupathi Balaji temple auditorium in Guwahati on January 28.

"I have been translating and singing the songs of Bhupen Hazarika in Sanskrit for several years . My performances have featured several musicians playing different instruments. Around 11 of us have come together to form Prachya," Bezbaruah said.

On the name of the band, Bezbaruah said it meant the oriental as well as the eastern part of India, which included the Northeast.

"Unlike other bands, we will not indulge in fusion music. Ours will strictly retain the purity of the classical language. In the beginning we will concentrate on translating and singing as many folk songs and semi-classical songs that this region has produced and is popular among the people. Through this medium we would like to take it to a wider audience," he said.
Ranjan said promotion of Sanskrit and songs of the region was the main reason to form the band."We will also sing Vedic hymns and Sanskrit rendition of Hindi patriotic and devotional songs," he added.

Bezbaruah, a Sanskrit teacher in Nagaon, believes that the classical language may be dead for the masses but being the root of all Aryan languages and also being the root of Indian culture, it needed to be revived and the best way to do this was through songs.
He has translated more than 100 songs, most of them Bhupen Hazarika's, into Sanskrit and has a nuber of music albums to his credit.

His mission is to translate and sing the immortal lyrics of greats like Srimanta Sankardev, Madhavdev, Bhupen Hazarika, Jyotiprasad Agarwala, Bishnuprasad Rabha also the great lyrics of Kabeer and Rabindranath Tagore.

The other members of the band comprise Atul Mahanta , Kulapradip Das on the tabla and khol, Santanoo Bora on the guitar and do-tara, Abhisekh Dhar on the keyboard, Dwipen Das on Dhol and othe percussions, Pranjal Bora on flute and musical arrangements, and singers Pronoti Barua, Krishna Das, Riturani Maushumi. Child artistes Dhritiman Kasyap and Bharatanatyam dancer Mayukhi Bezbaruah, will be two added attractions.

Makhan Sarma, a fan of Bezbaruah, said, "When Ranjan performed, Bhupen da's aficionados, including me, attune ourselves to the changed vocabulary and even if we do not understand every word, we open our hearts to the lyrical notes sung with élan and the intonation of the original in a voice, which has an uncanny resemblance to Assam's greatest bard. I am sure Prachya will be able to achieve its objective of reaching out to a wider audience."

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Fresh words, familiar music
Band to perform songs in Sanskrit to promote language