ami jhorer kache rekhe gelam [1961 Bengali]
(I left my whereabouts in the storm...)
Singer- Hemanta Mukherjee
Lyrics- Salil Chowdhury
Music- Salil Chowdhury
Hemanta Mukherjee (also known as Hemant Kumar in Hindi film/music scene) is well-known for his brilliant compositions in Hindi-films like Bees Saal Baad(1962) Kohra(1964) and Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam(1962). As a composer, he was not very prolific, but each one of them were a gem. Hemant-da clearly had a talent for composing music with an ethereal quality. Perhaps that's why he composed mostly in noir/thriller/horror
movies. His music can be at best enjoyed in the chilly weather of the rainy season or at a hill-station.(And if you catches a cold, you may even imitate his brooding baritone voice!) Hemant-da was more prolific as a singer, his baritone voice and singing style perfectly suits romantic and sentimental numbers. Almost every Hindi/Bengali composer of yesteryears have used his renditions. In Bengal, he also renowned for his extensive work in Rabindra Sangeet(Tagore-music). He also teamed up with another legend Salil Chowdhury to create many evergreen hits - such as this song ami jharer kache.
Hemant-da was apolitical (like me) but not Salil-da. Besides being a great composer, Salil-da was an ardent communist. Through his music, poems and lyrics, Salil-da always aligned himself with the oppressed and down-trodden of that time. He was also influenced by 'socialist realism' of the erstwhile Soviet Union and Eastern bloc countries. Apart from Bengal, Salil-da was very prolific in Kerala where he created many hits and revered as an iconic figure. And from his stable came another legend - the genius of Ilaiyaraja !
Salil-da composes folk and (Indian) classical music aided by western orchestration. He frequently used counter-point technique (including this song). Certainly, if there is any musician after Tagore who gave Bengal its own music-idiom, it is Salil Chowdhury.
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