Ekla chalo re
Encyclopedia
"Jodi Tor Daak Shune Keu Na Ase Tobe Ekla Chalo Re" , commonly known as Ekla Chalo Re, is a Bengali
patriotic song written by Rabindranath Tagore
in 1905.
Originally titled as "Eka", the song was first published in the September 1905 issue of Bhandar magazine. It was influenced by Harinaam Diye Jagat Matale Amar Ekla Nitai Re, a popular Bengali Kirtan song of Dhapkirtan or Manoharshahi gharana praising Nityananda
, disciple of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
. Ekla Chalo Re was incorporated in the "Swadesh" (Homeland) section of Tagore’s lyrical anthology Gitabitan.
The song exhorts the listener to continue his or her journey, despite abandonment or lack of support from others. The song is often quoted in the context of political or social change movements. Mahatma Gandhi
, who was deeply influenced by this song, cited it as one his favorite songs.
town in modern-day Jharkhand
, India
. It was one of the 22 protest songs written during the Swadeshi period of Indian freedom movement and along with "Amar Sonar Bangla", it became one of the key anthem
of the Anti-Partition
Movement in Bengal Presidency
in 1905.
Titled as "Eka" ("Alone") the song was first published in the September 1905 issue of Bhandar magazine. "Eka" was first included in Tagore’s song anthology Baul in 1905. In 1941, it was incorporated into the "Swadesh" ("Homeland") section of Gitabitan, the complete anthology of Tagore’s music.
The musical notation of "Ekla Chalo Re" was prepared by Indira Devi, a niece of Tagore. The notation was first published in the April-May 1906 issue of Sangeet-Vignan Prakashika magazine and later incorporated into the 46th volume of Swarabitan, the complete collection of Tagore’s musical notations.
) (record no H 191) are released by Gramophone Company of India and Hindustan Records respectively.
Eminent Rabindra Sangeet singer Suchitra Mitra
recorded this song twice, first in 1948 (record no N27823) and then in 1984 (record no PSPL 1501).
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
patriotic song written by Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
in 1905.
Originally titled as "Eka", the song was first published in the September 1905 issue of Bhandar magazine. It was influenced by Harinaam Diye Jagat Matale Amar Ekla Nitai Re, a popular Bengali Kirtan song of Dhapkirtan or Manoharshahi gharana praising Nityananda
Nityananda
Image:Panca-tattva Altar.jpg|thumb|This is interactive image-map. Click! on lotus feet. Sri Krishna Chaitanya , Sri Nityananda Prabhu , Sri Advaita Acharya , Sri Gadadhara Pandit , Sri Srivas Pandit...
, disciple of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a Vaishnava saint and social reformer in eastern India in the 16th century, believed by followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism to be the full incarnation of Lord Krishna...
. Ekla Chalo Re was incorporated in the "Swadesh" (Homeland) section of Tagore’s lyrical anthology Gitabitan.
The song exhorts the listener to continue his or her journey, despite abandonment or lack of support from others. The song is often quoted in the context of political or social change movements. Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
, who was deeply influenced by this song, cited it as one his favorite songs.
Translation into English
Here is the translation in prose of the Bengali original rendered by Rabindranath Tagore himself.
- If they answer not to thy call walk alone,
- If they are afraid and cower mutely facing the wall,
- O thou unlucky one,
- open thy mind and speak out alone.
- If they turn away, and desert you when crossing the wilderness,
- O thou unlucky one,
- trample the thorns under thy tread,
- and along the blood-lined track travel alone.
- If they do not hold up the light when the night is troubled with storm,
- O thou unlucky one,
- with the thunder flame of pain ignite thy own heart
- and let it burn alone.
Publication
"Ekla Chalo Re" was written at GiridihGiridih
Giridih is headquarters of the Giridih district of Jharkhand state, India. The literal meaning of Giridih is the land of hills & hillocks - giri, a Hindi word, means hills and dih, another word of the local dialect, indicates upland...
town in modern-day Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It was one of the 22 protest songs written during the Swadeshi period of Indian freedom movement and along with "Amar Sonar Bangla", it became one of the key anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
of the Anti-Partition
Partition of Bengal (1905)
The decision of the Partition of Bengal was announced on 19 July 1905 by the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon. The partition took effect on 16 October 1905...
Movement in Bengal Presidency
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency originally comprising east and west Bengal, was a colonial region of the British Empire in South-Asia and beyond it. It comprised areas which are now within Bangladesh, and the present day Indian States of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya, Orissa and Tripura.Penang and...
in 1905.
Titled as "Eka" ("Alone") the song was first published in the September 1905 issue of Bhandar magazine. "Eka" was first included in Tagore’s song anthology Baul in 1905. In 1941, it was incorporated into the "Swadesh" ("Homeland") section of Gitabitan, the complete anthology of Tagore’s music.
The musical notation of "Ekla Chalo Re" was prepared by Indira Devi, a niece of Tagore. The notation was first published in the April-May 1906 issue of Sangeet-Vignan Prakashika magazine and later incorporated into the 46th volume of Swarabitan, the complete collection of Tagore’s musical notations.
Recording history
Ekla Chalo Re was first recorded by Rabindranath Tagore himself sometime between 1905 and 1908. The cylinder record labelled H. Bose Swadeshi Records is now lost. Two other records of the song made by Harendranath Dutta (record no P5270) and Hindustan Party (comprising Amala Dutta, Nandita Devi, Sudhin Dutta and Santidev GhoshSantidev Ghosh
Santidev Ghose was an author, singer, actor, dancer and maestro of Rabindra Sangeet from Santiniketan, India...
) (record no H 191) are released by Gramophone Company of India and Hindustan Records respectively.
Eminent Rabindra Sangeet singer Suchitra Mitra
Suchitra Mitra
Suchitra Mitra was an Indian singer and composer, as well as a well-respected exponent of Rabindra Sangeet or the songs of Bengal's poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore. As an academic she remained a Professor and the Head of 'Rabindra Sangeet Department' at the Rabindra Bharati University for many...
recorded this song twice, first in 1948 (record no N27823) and then in 1984 (record no PSPL 1501).
External links
- যদি তোর ডাক শুনে কেউ না আসে Audio from calcuttaweb.com