As Bangladesh marks the 85th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore's death, the acclaimed Rabindra Sangeet exponent reflects on a lifetime shaped by his songs and explains why his ideas remain as relevant today as ever.

“The ultimate truth of our personality is that we are no mere biologists or geometricians; we are the dreamers of dreams, we are the music-makers.”

I founded Shurer Dhara in 1992, inspired by my Guru, the gifted Rabindra Sangeet singer Kanika Bandyopadhyay. She has always taught me to sing in my own style and encouraged me to teach my students Tagore songs in my way. She used to say that the style of others will not suit me. Thus, I started Shurer Dhara, with the aim to teach Rabindra Sangeet in my own style.

Today is 25th Baishakh.