Bengali punk rock band Nakshatra to come up with two new English singles this year

Two Bengali singles, Ichhe and Agomoni, are also in the offing, besides F**k Hitler and Bright Side
Nakshatra
Nakshatra

HOW MANY OF you can vouch for childhood dreams that remained with you, long after you had outgrown your school uniform? Sayantan Chaklader and
Sayak Saha are two such artistes, who started their musical venture in 2006, as students of Rahara Ramakrishna Mission Boys’ Home High School and continue to perform as the lead guitarist and the vocalist of the band Nakshatra. Currently, the four-member act is planning to release two singles in both English and Bengali, by the end of this year.

<em>The band Nakshatra was formed in school</em>
The band Nakshatra was formed in school

Anybody who has heard their grungy, punk rock numbers would exclaim with surprise when they hear that the foundation of the band Nakshatra was laid in a
school, which is known for fostering severity in both actions as well as speech. Both Sayantan and Sayak went on to become software developers-- and work full-time jobs even now. Yet it did not prevent them from following their passion for
music. Shopoth, their first ever song as a band, which was written and performed in 2006, found its way into the debut album, 108, released in 2013.

Their recent turn to English songs falls in line with their genre of music, yet, despite being one of the very few punk rock Bengali bands, they made quite a splash with their last album. “108 was one of the very first punk rock albums in Bengali where we experimented with music and blended rock and roll and alternative rock with punk. There was also a blues number. The songs were very different, energetic and catchy, with exceptional beat counts by Piku, who was our drummer then,” says Sayantan. “When we started out, the lyrics came naturally
to us in Bengali, but English is necessary to reach out to a global audience,” he adds.

<em>108 was one of the first Bengali punk rock album</em>
108 was one of the first Bengali punk rock album

Among the Bengali singles, is Ichhe, an alternative/new age punk rock number that tells the story of a boy whose choices in life are different from others of his age, but the society is not ready to accept it. Agomoni, on the other hand, is an anti-war song that was composed by the band at a competition, while the English singles include, F**k Hitler, a rock and roll number, and Bright Side.

“I had written F**k Hitler two years ago, centred on the Holocaust. It focuses on how Hitler committed crimes in the garb of a hero. But it is still very relevant today, with the communal tension on the rise. Bright Side, on the other hand, is a slow, psychedelic number which conveys the role of hope in pushing past the drudgery of everyday life, despite all its disappointments,” informs Sayantan.

<em>Nakshatra is coming out with English singles this year</em>
Nakshatra is coming out with English singles this year

The band has undergone major changes since 2006, but Sayantan and Sayak have remained the constants. The new band members include Varun Pugalia on drums
and Soumyak Chandra on bass. They have taken the place of Piku and Saikat Choudhary, who have recently ventured to pursue their personal projects but still assist the team with their studio recordings.

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