Kolkata :
Lyricist Gobinda Halder, whom Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid met at a hospital on Monday, didn’t just write ‘Joy Banglar Gaan’, patriotic songs that inspired the Muktijoddhas during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. He had also penned nearly 3,500 semi-classical, folk, baul, kirtan, Shyamasangeet and modern Bengali songs before glaucoma claimed his sight and ended his writing spree.
Some of his patriotic songs like ‘Mora Ekti Phulke Bachabo Bole Juddho Kori’, ‘Ek Sagor Rokter Binimoye Banglar Swadhinata Anlo Jara’, ‘Purbo Digonte Surjo Uthechhe Rokto Lal’ and ‘Padma Meghna Jamuna Tomar Amar Thikana’ are still popular in Bangladesh. Artistes from All India Radio and Doordarshan did sing some of his songs from other genre but Halder was never acknowledged. Most of his works, both songs and poetry, remain unpublished and unknown.
Halder’s first book on poetry had been a success. The 500-odd copies that the writer had managed to print in 1989 after depleting his meagre resources got sold out. Unfortunately, Halder did not have the means to reprint ‘Door Digante’, a collection of powerful poems.
His childhood friend Debkumar Mitra, who was chief librarian of Calcutta University till 1994-95, did publish the second edition five years later. But a combination of factors that ranged from poor production quality to lack of sales and a quantum change in reading habits post-Liberalisation ruined its prospects.
“I still have about 70 copies unsold. During my trips to Bangladesh, I had approached officials and offered to hand them over so that they could be distributed either in the country where he is loved or from the Bangladesh pavilion at the Kolkata Book Fair,” said Debkumar’s daughter Sangeeta.
Mitra would drop by at Halder’s tiny Ramakrishna Samadhi Road apartment in Kankurgachhi regularly till four years ago when his own failing health confined him indoors. He passed away this March, his dream of publishing his friend’s works unfulfilled.
Halder, who is unaware of his friend’s demise, is recuperating at JN Roy Hospital. B Hazra, the doctor treating him, said his condition was stable. “He was in a critical condition when he came on December 13, suffering from cerebral atrophy that affected his speech. He had also contracted bed sore. His speech has since improved,” the physician said. Halder is on Ryles tube and catheter.
Halder’s daughter Gopa said they were happy with the treatment and glad her father was responding to it.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City>Kolkata / by Subhro Niyogi & Debasish Konar, TNN / December 24th, 2014