Guwahati: One of the lesser-known facets of Assam’s syncretic culture is lower Assam’s Kobi Gaan (poetic songs) – a form of musical performance where the emphasis is on dialogue delivery, or monologues, aimed at the audience in between the rendering of songs, often in a poetic form.
Usually performed with two poet-singers – with a few instrument players in the background – the core purpose of Kobi Gaan is to instil within people love for one universal god, for one another, for parents, and for all religions. The performers stand on a mancha (stage) and perform in response to the audience’s demands.
Originating from Bengal, Kobi Gaan is still performed in Bengali in Assam. The genre is popular in the districts bordering Bengal and Bangladesh, such as Dhubri, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, etc. including in a few pockets of riverine sand bars and other parts of lower Assam. However, it’s yet to appear on mainstream Assamese artistic platforms.
Shamsul Sarkar and his wife Geetaj Begum Sarkar are a popular Kobi Gaan duo. This correspondent first made their acquaintance a little over a year ago at Mazidbhita Char in Barpeta district. Shamsul, aged 70, lives in the Howly area of Barpeta.
In a conversation with The Wire, Shamsul expressed his love for the genre and the challenges that the pandemic had created for performers like him.
Excerpts from the interview:
How different is Kobi Gaan from other musical genres like Baul or Sufism?
Kobi Gaan has its origin, dating back to more than 300 years, in Bengal. It grew exponentially in the rural pockets of Bengal and modern-day Bangladesh. There was no particular school for this genre. Bhola Moira and Anthony Firangi devised and developed this genre further in the 18th and 19th centuries during the British rule. Both were depicted in Bengali films. Kobi Gaan found new tutelage under Hari Acharya and Hari Charan. Under them, it witnessed newfound popularity in an undivided Bengal. Kobi Gaan is created on the spot of the mancha or stage. It is impromptu.
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Baul is mostly prepared beforehand and singers remember the songs. Sufism is mostly about Islam. Kobi Gaan arrived in Assam about 100 years ago.
Increasingly, across the country, one is witnessing a division in society based on religion. As a preacher of universal love, how do you react to it?
Firstly, it hurts me a great deal when I see people fighting over religion. Religion is only a medium to reach one particular god. But there is one god which is universal to humanity. That god can be love and brotherhood.
For me, the world is a big school and people are taught the ways and means of earthly living in that school. Death and suffering of life are equalisers. This is the ultimate truth. But, we humans tend to forget this truth and deviate ourselves from the path of the universal reality and waste our lives in hating and fighting one another over religion and other petty issues. We are only guests here in this world. Kobi Gaan can help people in reaching for the truth and learn to love one another.
Geetaj Begum Sarkar during one of her performances. Photo: John Dayal
Have you noticed any change in the audience from when you started over 40 years ago and now?
During my stint at the mancha spanning almost 50 years, I have observed many differences between then and now. Earlier, the audience was more spiritually inclined but now that has decreased. Back then, people used to come to soirees dressed in traditional attire, but this is not so anymore.
How difficult is it sustain an artiste like you specialising in a genre which is lesser-known in the mainstream Assamese cultural arena?
My main mission in life is to teach people about love, universal brotherhood and love for different religions and culture. I do that through my performances along with my wife and my instrument players. When audiences listen to our poetic renditions and enjoy them, we get the feeling that our job is done. I do not count my audiences as Assamese or Bengalis. I treat them as members of the human race who have the right to teach themselves about love.
It is true that Kobi Gaan is yet to catch the attention of the wider Assamese people. It still awaits a mainstream platform. As an artiste, I feel that it would be a serendipitous experience for us if we are given an opportunity to perform at an equal level – just like Bihu music. But at the same time, I feel happy when I perform during the traditional Raas festival which itself is a traditional Assamese mainstream cultural celebration. Raas is hugely popular in Barpeta and we are a popular attraction and people flock to watch our performance.
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I have been performing for more than 40 years and I have performed in some pockets in upper Assam as well. I have also performed live on Doordarshan many years ago and also in the state administrative capital Dispur.
In all, we are around 35 to 36 of Kobi Gaan performers in lower Assam. That number should increase.
Folk artistes are also often supported, including financially, by various government bodies. Has there been any help offered to you so far?
When we talk about widespread recognition – recognition from the state machinery or from anywhere else certainly helps a folk artiste. Recently, I was given Rs 5,000 as financial support to a silpi (artiste) by the Assam government. The amount may be small but it meant a lot to me. It was given to me and other artists at the Srimanta Shankaradev Kalakshetra, the prominent cultural centre in Guwahati. Respect was extended to me as an artiste and it was a great deal for me.
In 2012, I was also given a certificate of excellence by a prominent Sattradharikar (chief abbot of a Satra or a Vaishnava monastery). But yes, if artistes like us are also offered Silpi pension by the government, it would be of great help.
As an artiste of a genre which preaches love, receiving attention and appreciation from the audience is the soul of my creativity. But I have a family to run as well. I have a daughter who is studying. I want to make an appeal to the government to take care of the artists of the state who find it difficult to balance both art and their family responsibilities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of people across the world. How has it affected you, especially when the peak season of your performances is round the corner but you may not be able to perform as much as in the previous season?
As a folk artist, it has led to a huge loss for us. So far, this year, I have not been able to perform in any soirees. It is during Basanti (an avatar of goddess Durga celebrated at the onset of spring) puja, Manasa (performed during the onset of the monsoons) puja, Ganga puja, Vishwakarma puja and Jagadhatri puja that I get invitations to perform. But the pandemic ruined everything.
Raas is around the corner and it is likely that all public performances will be barred. I usually get paid between Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000 during that time. My family is dependent on my income. Since I am not able to earn anything from my performances, I am dependent on my meagre earnings from agriculture and help from well-wishers. Durga Puja in October will also be a low-key affair. In spite of the sufferings, I have decided not to perform until everything is normal. I don’t want to risk the lives of the public and my fans.
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Is there any particular challenge you face now in promoting the genre?
There should be more awareness about it. I am glad some young people are coming forward to learn it. I have five students. That is a positive sign.
I feel there should be more programmes in cities like Guwahati so that mainstream Assamese speakers can also learn about it. That is why I am thinking about using the Assamese language now in songs. But there are difficulties in trying to make the words rhyme. I know it is not impossible.
Everything changes, so one day, it will be possible for Kobi Gaan to be performed in Assamese as well. That is the beauty of Assam’s syncretic culture.
