By Monojit Mandal
It is said, “Music is the literature of the heart; it commences where speech ends.”
Sportspersons turning musicians is not a rare phenomenon as the likes of Bernie Williams (baseball player), John McEnroe (tennis star), Darren McCarty (ice hockey), 13 Grand slam title winners Bob and Matt Bryan (tennis), Lional Rose (boxing) and many more who had graced both the trades with inordinate success.
Making it to that list is our own home-grown footballer turned lyricist, song writer and singer Bhuban Chatterjee, a popular figure during the late 80s and early 90s on the Maidan football grounds of West Bengal.
It takes a lifetime for some to nurture one god-gifted talent and then there are some who are blessed with many. A great custodian who donned goal-keeping gloves in front of the bars for major Kolkata clubs like Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, BNR (Bengal Nagpur Railways), Aryan FC, Port Trust, Tollygaunge Agragami and others, Chatterjee’s love for music was seeded well before the start of his career as a sportsperson.
“I still remember when I was in Class VI, I was made to write poems in my school, and aside from receiving applause, astonishingly enough for my teachers who had tough times believing that those poems were composed by me because of my tender age. That was the start of my creative journey. Later on I evolved from that age and also that phase and found myself absorbed in writing poetry, songs, composing lyrics and also lending voice to them occasionally,” said the 54-year-old Chatterjee.
Speaking of the adversities, Chatterjee said, “Nothing in life comes easy, you have to keep on trying. Chase your dreams and believe in yourself, so that you can accumulate enough courage to back yourself during crisis. This is what makes one successful.”
Chatterjee fondly remembers his mentor, coach and teacher, Subrata Chatterjee (Gadai), who had fostered him to be a successful footballer.
But who inspired him to take up music as a profession where he could have easily helmed the charge of an efficacious football coach much like his peers? Well, the former custodian spent no time to thank his wife Kakali Chatterjee for being a true soul-mate and motivating him to flourish as a musician who has more than 32 song albums under his belt. However, what sets Chatterjee apart from a conventional musician is that his songs are mostly dedicated to the people allied with sports and games.
In an exclusive interaction with Sunday Shillong during his sojourn to the hill city, Chatterjee said what made him settle on this precise genre are the dearth of songs on sports and games and the personalities associated with this vocation. He feels that the life of a player is very hard-hitting; there are hardships, dedication, discipline and often sparkling dreams. And therefore, to pay homage to that pulsating spirit, he chose to sing their tales of victories, accounts of loss, fictions of pain and sagas of achievements.
“Sports was one unfortunate area that remained unexplored to a great extent by the Indian music industry and that pooled with my adoration for the game, made me write and sing these songs,” added Bhuban who initiated his lyricist career with Anya Bhuban, a much appreciated music album on football.
Expanding his horizon of songs on sports personalities like footballers Baichung Bhutia, Jose Barreto, Subrata Bhattacherjee, Krishanu Dey, Sanjeev Dutta and others, he also explored the world of cricket with songs on Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Riddhiman Saha, among others. Mountaineer Chanda Gayen and Chess Master Dipendu Barua have also been eulogised in Bhuban’s songs. Fearless Fighter, Unparallel Bhaichung, Lal Halud, Sabuj Maroon and Shob Khelar Shera Football are his much appreciated albums to name some.
At present, Chatterjee is working on his new album, which he said is on former national boxer Krishna Rout (1987 gold medallist and 1992 silver medallist in National Boxing Championship), who has been cleaning drains and spraying disinfectants for the past 15 years in Howrah Municipal Corporation and despite bringing many laurels to the country and state is now struggling to make ends meet.
Throwing light on his plans, Chatterjee said he will write songs on the aspects of glorious football culture of Meghalaya and that too in its native language.
He had also met the Minister of Art and Culture, AL Hek, and discussed about the possibilities of wheeling the theme song for the upcoming National Games 2022.
With the incessant effort to espouse the integrity of sports and inspire the future generation, Chatterjee dares to dream again in the later part of his life, all in a new vista where leads the way.
