Rabindranath Tagore was known for his philanthropic nature, and he often sang his songs to raise funds for various charitable causes. Several dance dramas were enacted for such purposes and on various other occasions. One popular dance drama was Shyama, a romantic tragedy about a beautiful courtesan. One of the songs in Shyama that have been immortalized is Mayabono Biharini Horini, whose lyrics replete with imagery and symbolism, set to the beautiful raga Iman-Kalyan that intensifies the pathos of the events to follow.
Lyrics:
মায়াবনবিহারিণী হরিণী গহনস্বপনসঞ্চারিণী,
কেন তারে ধরিবারে করি পণ অকারণ।
থাক্ থাক্, নিজ-মনে দূরেতে,
আমি শুধু বাঁশরির সুরেতে
পরশ করিব ওর প্রাণমন অকারণ॥
চমকিবে ফাগুনের পবনে,
পশিবে আকাশবাণী শ্রবণে,
চিত্ত আকুল হবে অনুখন অকারণ।
দূর হতে আমি তারে সাধিব,
গোপনে বিরহডোরে বাঁধিব–
বাঁধনবিহীন সেই যে বাঁধন অকারণ॥
English translation:
Wandering doe of the enchanted woods,
Who roams within my deepest dreams,
Why am I so intent on capturing her?
Without any reason
Let her remain afar by herself,
With the melody of my flute
I will touch her heart and soul
Without any reason
She will startle in the spring breeze
Will surrender as she hears the heavens speak,
Her mind will grow endlessly restless
Without any reason
I will yearn for her from a distance,
I will secretly fasten her with a rope of separation,
With the bond that has no knots
Without any reason.
Some useful information:
Written on: September 29, 1934, at Santiniketan
Age of the poet: 73
Published in: Shyama (September 1950)
Parjaay (Category): Dance Drama (Nritya Natya)
Upa-parjaay (Sub-category): NA
Taal: Kaharba
Raga: Yaman (Iman) Kalyan
Notation: Shyama
Swarabitan: Vol. 19 (Shyama)
Notation by: Sushil Kumar Bhanjachoudhury
Purpose of the presentation:
Tagore’s music resonates with people from all walks of life. His songs are performed at cultural events, religious ceremonies and social gatherings, reflecting their enduring popularity. In an effort to bring home this treasure trove to the non-Bengali population and Bengalis around the globe, Brainware University offers a selection of Rabindrasangeet in this presentation. It is enriched with details on the songs and relevant anecdotes.
Sung By
Sri Phalguni Mookhopadhayay Chancellor, Brainware University Phalguni Mookhopadhayay is the founder-Chancellor of Brainware University, founder-Chairman and Managing-Director of Brainware Consultancy Private Limited and founder-Chairman of Webguru Infosystems Private Limited. He did his schooling at Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Narendrapur, and graduated with honours in Economics from St Xavier’s College, Kolkata. He completed his masters in Economics from Calcutta University and MBA from IISWBM, before joining Hindustan Lever as a management trainee. He worked as a market planner for the ABP group for nearly a decade before striking out on his own and successfully launching two private limited companies and one University. Phalguni Mookhopadhayay is a self-taught digital artist, a versatile photographer, a filmmaker and a weekend singer who has already recorded 78 songs and is now immersed in a project to popularise Tagore songs among a global audience.
