As a group, how much do you miss your band partner, the late Kalikaprasad?
Kalikaprasad and I started this group on August 7, 1999. Everyone knows that we are like shadows of each other. From the date of the accident on March 7, 2017, till today, all of us at Dohar feel his presence among us and he guides us in every movement of Dohar.
Are new bands as interested in folk music?
Yes, new bands as well as new-generation solo artistes are very much interested in folk music. We notice that they sing traditional folk songs, and they study the background of folk music, whether it is Jhumur, Bhawaaiaa, Bhatiaali, Saari, Baul, Kirtan and so on. They love to compose new songs based on traditional folk tunes. We feel that only the new generation can carry forward our traditions, and in that aspect, we are going in the right direction.
Your other upcoming projects?
Many songs are in the pipeline. We are planning to present at least one song every 15 days. We have about a thousand songs in our collection, which need to be archived and released in order to preserve, protect, and promote the art and culture of undivided Bengal and Assam and to popularize folk music among the young generation. Besides, we recently worked on the feature film Raktabeej directed by Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy, which will be released during the Pujas.
Dohar will be performing at Uttam Mancha on May 26.
