Rabindra Sangeet Charcha and Sukumar Sen

Acharya Sukumar Sen harboured a deep personal fondness for Rabindra Sangeet. Of the five volumes comprising his magnum opus, ‘Bangla Sahityer Itihas’ (History of Bengali Literature), one entire volume is dedicated to Rabindranath Tagore, featuring a specific chapter devoted to his songs. Yet, this is merely the beginning; Acharya Sen authored numerous essays exploring the nuances of Rabindra Sangeet, most notably the celebrated collection titled ‘Rabindranather Gaan’ (The Songs of Rabindranath). These essays are now included in ‘Sukumar Sener Prabandha Sankalan’ (A Collection of Sukumar Sen’s Essays), edited by his sons, Subhadrakumar Sen and Sunandankumar Sen. This discussion focuses on Acharya Sen’s scholarly insight into Rabindra Sangeet and his fresh perspective on Rabindranath, as revealed through these writings.