Feb 15, 2006 12:23 PM
5743 Views
(Updated Feb 15, 2006 12:23 PM)
I am not a Bengali (as my name clearly indicates) but I have several Bengali friends. It was through them that I first heard about Bhoomi. These guys have a huge fan following not just in Calcutta/West Bengal but all over the world since they have toured extensively all over the UK and USA.
Yatra Shuru (The Journey Begins) features a predominantly folk sound re-interpreted and re-created using modern day musical instruments, especially acoustic guitars and flutes. Typically, the songs by this band blend tabla and dholak rhythms to create a very upbeat mood.
One of the reasons these guys are so popular in Bengal is that they continue a tradition founded by a group called Mohiner Ghora Guli (The Horses of Mohin) under the leadership of Gautam Chatterjee. When Chatterjee passed away, MGG fell apart. Some of the key members formed Bhoomi, which had the essence of the MGG sound in their music.
It does not matter if you cannot understand Bengali. I don't - but that doesn't stop me from enjoying these songs. In fact, other than Yatra Shuru, the band has two other albums: Bhoomi Isspecial and Lokgeeti Local. Both are immensely good and certainly worth listening to.
