Flexibility of music and tunes is the basis of Joler Gaan

The popular band "Joler Gaan" gives the smell of mother land through it's songs and innovative tunes and flows like a river for the last 14 years. Rahul Anand the founder of the band writes lyrics, composes music and renders voice since the days when he was student of Fine Arts.

His long time affiliation with theatre give him power to create metaphoric tunes of rain, cry of cricket etc and to create instruments necessary for this music. Rahul Anand's incredible ability to draw tunes from all corners of the world and to give it flexible shape enriches his songs and makes the band flow with time. Rahul Anand shares his incredible musical journey in an exclusive interview with Ananna Sugra, the staff reporter of The Asian Age.

AA. What are things you are engaged with?
Rahul Anand: Due to ravaging covid-19 we are going through unprecedented circumstances both socially and economically. Like others we experienced discomfort, uncertainty at the beginning, later we adapt ourselves at "new normal". I used to do 4 to 5 shows each week, but due to covid-19 I try to do show from home to earn the living. I love to read books and live with it; I finished reading many books in this pandemic and even today I ordered books worth Tk 3000. I love to learn new things everyday. I am utilising full time in learning guitar. Besides that I love to play Mandola, Noyon Tara and Clarinet. All the instruments are made by us.

AA. How you meet the idea of making instruments for your band?
Rahul Anand: I meet the idea from two places, the first being that I actively involve with the theatre since 1991 where I was given task to produce ambient music. There are many people work in theatre group, where some loves to write lyrics, some loves to compose song, some loves to act, some loves to write and so on. I love to act too but I used to play music since my childhood and inevitably I know music more than others in theatres so I was assigned to produce ambient music. I do the most music for Bangla Theatre even before I reach maturity in terms of age, I sometimes wonder how I do this.

As an example suppose I need to produce sounds of rain fall. I donot necessesarily need rain fall for that sound. Then I need to produce sounds of crickets. I donot necessesarily need to cricket from jungle for that sound. l need to produce sounds that metaphorically portrays rainfall, or cries of cricket. This is how invention roots from. Secondly, it is my objective of my band to introduce innovative tunes to enrich contemporary music regardless the acceptance by people.

To do the creative work, we need to contribute the contemporary times. If we give something to the time, it will bear us with its flow. That's why we need new instruments for new sounds. As I grew up from rural areas I met many people, I carried the influence of tradition where my ancestors made musical instruments, wrote songs and gave tunes to the song. I used to visit many Baul Akhras tried to meet them drew songs and tunes when I used to go through the 3 years of session jam at 3rd year in Fine Arts.

Even we celebrated 3 years of anniversary of staying in 3rd year. I cleverly introduce vatiyali in my song. When I work in theatre I have to maintain constant tune for 2 hours. When I work in stadium I need to maintain effective tune so I need to produce instrument. To every difficulties I need to work with instruments which consumes huge time. These are things that motivates me to produce instruments for my band.

AA: Is introduction of new music also an effort to preserve culture?
Rahul Anand: Culture never disappears. It transforms. It is genetically built default in our mind. I see many atheists who recall the name of God when they suffer. This is their default nature, their culture. We love to see dream in Bangla this is our culture. Some people express anger through English but they express dreams in Bangla, this is culture our default nature. It is not my duty to preseve culture and I will not take it. The soil will preserve our culture.

The bumps and pits of soil will preserve culture. The culture would stay even if we reach the acme of development. My family members like Uncle and Aunty went to Canada and surprisingly they created mini Bangladesh. Bangalees in Canada celebrate Durga Puja, Guru Purnima and many things that were not happen even in Bangladesh.

This is culture which is our default attributes. Things could be added and be eliminated from culture. When we see senior we stand up by ourselves, no one will make us to do so, then we will ask for reason. In West people donot stand up out of courtesy when they meet senior, they would seek for reason first. These are our defaults, the culture.

AA: Let us go back to childhood days. Everyone have sweet childhood memories. What was your favourite one?
Rahul Anand: I love to reminisce memories. People often stuck in some points of life, and me too. I dive down to ocean of memories so that I could forget where I stuck. I have countless number of memories. Travelling without direction is my favourite memory. I spent my childhood in maternal grandparent's house at Habiganj, the Haor area where many water bodies are located. At one summer vacation, I and my local friend Rafique went aboard the boat and left the coast.

We were very young at that time. Then suddenly Afao, the local name for strong wind originated out of air pressure difference in water body, blew our boat far from the mainland. We couldn't figure out where we were going as Afao blew from random directions. Surroundings in all directions look same as we two young boys left afloat on the mid of the water. The villages in Haor area are really small islands, even houses become island during monsoon. We often need boat to go from one house to another.

As the night descends and fearing that we were lost people threw nets to search us as it was normal that many children died by drowning, I knew swimming a bit. My mother cried a lot even when I return my house unhurt. Some took me on their lap, some attempted to beat me. Fear never haunted me, instead the romance of travel without knowing directions shivered me.

AA: Inspiration is needed to do anything. Who is your inspiration for music?
Rahul Anand: My mother is my inspiration. She often sang to herself. She knew many Sylhetian folk songs and she was most fluent on Dhamai song. My paternal grandmother is also my inspiration. She could sing. My greatest inspiration is Mother Nature. Dhaka city is not countryside. The countryside starts from at least 40 to 50 km away from Dhaka city. I met lots of people from grassroots, I consider them most powerful. We are helpless if electricity in the city suddenly got cut. We could not have access to Wi fi. In villages people do not have to depend on them. The people from grassroots are my inspiration.

AA: What are the qualities you expect from the upcoming singers?
Rahul Anand: There is no scope for new and old in music world. People can enter and leave it. A sangeet guru has to go through learning process till his death. So in this sense he is new. Those who starts his music career he is also new. I could recall my guru who would tell, you know nothing and I know nothing. I am your guru, you are my shissho and even vice versa.

My guru also tell I taught you how to do things for music but after some time we move in to the next level, "a gesture", where we knew nothing and work together to try something new. This strongly contrasts contemporary teacher and student relation where teacher is giver and student is receiver. But the Guru Shissho relation is above in level than teacher and student ones. Since the death of my guru, I follow the gesture and even today I woke up and act according to his gestures.

AA: Why the name "Joler Gaan". Is there any specfic reason?
Rahul Anand: Yes, this is Bangladeshi band so the name must be in bangla. Bangladesh is riverine country. It has 1300 rivers according to Syed Shamsul Haque's poem. Besides this, water has property of flexibility. It will take up the shape where it is preserved. Our seasonal change is marked by water. In monsoon we have abundant water, then in late autumn we have abundant golden paddies instead of water.

The name of water changes with location. We refer to water as Jol in Bangla, Paani in Urdu and Hindi, then we refer to our tears as Osru, our sweat as Gham, our rivers as Nodi, our pond as pukur, our little water bodies as Dooba, our large water bodies as Ocean, our state of water after evaporation as Bashpo, our clouds in air as Megh. We refer to water falling from clouds as Rain and so on.

These are the examples of flexibility and we have such flexibility in our songs. Our songs voice contemporary asphalt roads, corona virus pandemic, people's frustration in many forms. Our songs have many elements ranging from traditional, Scottish, Latin, Korean, etc. I adapt these elements in my own way in my songs. Flexibility is the reason why our band named after water.

AA: Your songs portray Mother Nature and human. Is it planned that you will sing this kind of songs?
Rahul Anand: I knew that I would do music. I am involved in theatre and I determined to continue it till age 35 then I will do music in next 10 years. Joler Gaan is not the product of sudden decision. I used to write and sing new songs in my days at Fine Arts. A new song would have to sing 5 times. I received many requests from my sir and my mam to sing for them.

I with my team of 5 members used to sing at classroom, at balcony, at roof top and at everywhere. In this way our songs gradually earned popularity. We have mandatory participation at Bakul Tola in Fine Arts. I can recall of 45 min's constant performance where we have to sing various songs about 45 mins without taking breaks. Our songs are sung in other campuses.

We have then a team of 22 members with some sculpture students who used to bang branch of tree on buckets as musical instrument. Then we receive sudden invitation from UK for performance. Thus to make a poster a name of band is needed. I proposed three names with Joler Gaan is one of them. Joler Gaan is accepted when I gave explanation and our journey is still going on.

AA: Music or Theatre, which one you love?
Rahul Anand: I love being described myself as performer. It could be in music, theatre, or acting.
AA: What is your favourite role when you act?
Rahul Anand: There is no specific character that I love most. Doing a character is like a journey. I have live or reside with character where I try to take feeling in inner self. The feeling come in many forms, it could be happiness, sadness, anger and so on. I donot get that feeling when I do Television Drama.
AA: Who is your favourite singer?
Rahul Anand: Ummm. I love to listen my friend Anusheh Anadil's song. I am also fond of my friend Ornob's song too. Besides them I like to listen Ayub Bacchu, James. Fakir Alamgir is my childhood nostalgia. I love to listen Brazilian composer Caetano Veloso and singer Maria Bethania and many more.
AA: If you get chance for international collaboration, with whom will you work?
Rahul Anand: I used to work with UK musician Colin Blakey and I will do collaboration with him again. Although he is much older than me, I experience spiritual connection when I work with him.
AA: If you are given superpower how will you utilise it?
Rahul Anand: I will use the superpower to purify my meditation.
AA: If a Giant grants you three wishes, what do you intend to wish for?
Rahul Anand: 1) Eliminate sadness of all people 2) Eliminate difference in many forms may be political, may be religious, and so on. 3) Give me three more wishes (Laughs!)
AA: What is your favourite dishes?
Rahul Anand: Rice, Pulse and Fish. I also love Chinese foods and also Mughlai dishes. I rarely eat meats.
AA: If you ever win lottery what will be your feeling?
Rahul Anand: No feeling. I donot know why it happens to me. I will feel myself as King if someone gifts me musical instruments even it it's toy.
AA: Which places you love to travel?
Rahul Anand: People usually love to travel crowded places like Cox's Bazar, but I love to travel crowd free places where I can concentrate on meditation and where I can meet my self, other self and state of nothing. In other words I love to travel in my mind, forest and corner of room where no one would create disturbance in my meditation.
AA: Please describe yourself in three words.
Rahul Anand: Human, Love, and Joy.
AA: Please drop a few words for readers.
Rahul Anand: I wish best for my readers and hope we will meet again when our earth heals.