As we are all aware, music is the best healer. It can make people happy, make them cry, and most importantly, it can unify people’s spirits. 26 Bangla singers, songwriters, and composers took the initial step in this direction by combining their latent musical talents to create their debut project, which reflected the ethos, upheaval, and joys of life as well as the dominant social milieu. 26 singer-songwriters will perform 33 unreleased works and 7 cover versions of songs from popular music in the audio-visual series “Hawa Bodoler Gaan.” On 41 listeners, a novel social experiment was conducted for the first time. The entire project is a move toward assembling a group of consistent mixtures of emerging artists and some well-known figures in the Bengali music industry.

The launch took place at Eastern Metropolitan Club in the august presence of eminent singers/composers from the Bengali music fraternity.

Contributions to the audio-visual series “Hawa Bodoler Gaan” come from a wide range of musicians involved in Bengal’s independent music scene. The goal of this series, which is sponsored by Wind of Change Resto Café, is to provide Bengali singer-songwriters and musicians of various backgrounds the opportunity to produce real soundscapes that inspire fresh innovation. The videos can be viewed by Bengali music enthusiasts on the recently launched “Hawa Bodol” YouTube channel. All original compositions’ audio will be released and distributed by UD Series over the course of four months in the form of six albums. Six singles from various independent artists make up each album, which will be made available on all reputable audio streaming services.

Through a sociological experiment in which 41 participants/listeners were chosen and required to sit blindfolded in front of the singer, the entire shooting process for all the songs was a first for Bengal and the entire nation. The covers were taken off after 30 seconds after the vocalist began singing the song. The result, a spontaneous and unadulterated flow of emotions, reciprocation to the song they were hearing for the first time, was captured through the lens even though neither the participants nor the singer knew who was singing in front of them.

As a part of commemorating their first anniversary, Wind of Change Resto Café gave the Independent Bengali Music Fraternity the entire initiative as a gift. Over the past year, they have consistently supported various independent musicians by giving them a platform to demonstrate their love for their craft. This enormous project wouldn’t have been possible without their assistance.

Priyanka Dutta