Renowned Rabindra Sangeet singer Sahana Bajpaie has condemned what she sees as the creeping erosion of Bengali identity, where even at Pohela Boishakh and Durga Puja in Kolkata, performers devoted to Bengali music are asked to sing in Hindi.
In a pointed Facebook post, the London-based Bengali artist accused organisers, broadcasters and cultural gatekeepers of sidelining Bengali songs in favour of Hindi, turning quintessentially Bengali celebrations into hybrid spectacles.
“Artistes who have spent their lives performing Bangla songs are now invited on the condition that they must also sing in Hindi,” she wrote, noting that TV dramas often insert Hindi songs to boost ratings, while FM stations play only a handful of Bangla tracks each day.
Bajpaie, who has taught Bengali at the University of London for more than a decade and performed ‘Ami Banglay Gaan Gai’ and Rabindra Sangeet in the British Parliament, said she has been criticised by senior cultural figures who claim she is “not truly Bengali” or lacks understanding of Tagore’s lyrics.
One detractor, she added, dismissed her identity as “being once a Bangladeshi bride”.
She warned that when a community devalues its own language, it weakens its cultural foundation and becomes vulnerable to marginalisation. While some criticise university students for singing in Bangla wearing ripped jeans and playing the daff, she observed, there is little objection to people in bright dhuti-panjabi dancing to Hindi songs at Bengali New Year events.
Her post ends with a stark question: Has the definition of being ‘Bengali’ been lost in translation?