Lalan Geeti - “Jaat gelo” covered by Borno Chakraborty.

Recently I have listened to a rendition by Borno Chakraborty of the Bengali folk song “Jaat
gelo” by Lalon Fakir. This song is from the album of Lalon geeti by Borno Chakraborty
published in 2020. The music arrangement of the song has a modern approach to uplift the
taste of the cult folk tune which has helped the creator to spread widely in modern times.
Artist Shafayad Badhon is also the featured artist of this song. In association with guitar and
drums I could taste another flavour of this folk song over traditional instrumental
arrangements.
This baul song is immensely soft as a tune and a brilliant piece of literary work also.
The song delves into the existential journey of mankind, reflecting upon the transient nature
of life and the perpetual quest for truth and enlightenment. Through its profound lyrics and
haunting melody, "Jaat Gelo" evokes a myriad of emotions, from longing and introspection to
joyous celebration of the universal spirit.
The song serves as a reminder of the timeless wisdom and profound insights of the Baul
tradition, advocating for love, tolerance, and inner harmony.
With its mystical allure and timeless relevance, "Jaat Gelo" continues to resonate with
audiences, transcending geographical and cultural boundaries. It stands as a testament to
the enduring legacy of Lalon geeti, offering solace and inspiration to all who seek
enlightenment on their spiritual journey. This poem consists of several questions that
intersect in a common point that is the identity of our cast, if we are anything over human.

If we look into Geeta there Krishna said that “4 ‘Varna’ ( sub castes of Hindus ) is created by
me on the basis of work and merit, it is not led by the generations. One can be Brahmin even
being born in a servant's ( sudra ) house so can one be a sudra from a Brahmin family. It
depends on which occupation they are choosing for their living.”
But in our realm at first we judge someone by their caste and then their potential. Here the
conflict of ideology, anger, enmity takes place in between two opposite clans that lead them
out of the human track and make them blind. The song is not only a mass song but also
somehow a protest against societal norms. The melody and the lyrics of the song itself has
the drastic power to uplift the artistry. But then it depends on the renditions being recreated
after lalon.
Mainly based on Shanta rasa this song also evokes the Adbhuta rasa to listeners mind.
Lalon’s Shama bhaba and Vismaya bhaba of this song indulge the inbuilt sense of humanity
of listeners' inner soul to be outcasted with high luminance.
One can engulf the answer of the toughest questions related to our identity listening to this
song.
Keeping this theory in mind, even if we listen to this rendition of Borno Chakraborty, we will
not deviate from this theory. In my opinion he has done justice with this song, it is usually
seen that modernization of Baul songs goes too extreme which leads us to forget the original
essence of the song, in this case Borno has balanced the bridge. Also in modern context if
we see the song was published by Borno in 2020 when COVID was at its peak, the literary
meaning of the song was relatable at that moment, thousands of people were dying Hindus
were helped by some Muslims or Christians friends, in front of death these mere divisions
seems blurry, the factor “jaat” had zero value at that time and it was an outstanding condition
so far being poor in other way to spread love and make unity irrespective to our identity. So
following space time and action, three of the most essential aspects of performing art this
song was perfect in the context of time of publishing (action) and reconstructing. Now when
I'm listening to the song the current time is also disturbing some way or another, there's a
smell of war over the world, children are killed, minorities are in trouble, corruption at its
peak, political agendas are encountering the humanity and basic rights hence this song with
its modern approach is highly relatable at this moment also.
I must say Borno Chakraborty has been successful as an artist in this attempt to touch the
inner side of listeners.
The mixing and mastering of the song is ear friendly and has an industry level touch. The
vocals were good.

Now thinking critically I must say this attempt would be unsuccessful until it hits the raw
mass of our society from where this song was made earlier by Lalon fakir. Somehow there
will be constant doubt of acceptance of this song in border aspects, fusion of traditional
arrangement and modern arrangement could be a way but with these small tiny but loud
steps I believe that we will overcome this transitional issue of musical tastes and prototype,
we will be a listener for art sake rather than being conservative. Because we have to keep
up with the times to present such deep psychological and physiological songs like Lalangiti
as timely to the new generation in modern times, we can't afford any conservative issues in
the realm of art.