Timeless: moheener ghoraguli

- Srotaswini Singha Roy 

In the restless alleys of 1970’s Calcutta, where smoke curled above teashops and disillusioned youths debated politics on street corners, a new form of music was born. “Moheener Ghoraguli” was founded by the visionaries of Gautam Chattopadhyay. They followed the trends of the urban folk movement – they aligned with the global urban folk trends of 1960’s, distinguished by its focus on personal and social issues in music, similar to artists like Bob Dylan. They also followed the Naxalite movement - they incorporated themes like injustice and freedom into their lyrics. This type of music was named JIBONMUKHI GAAN (songs of ordinary life).

At a time, where Bengali music largely meant classical music, Rabindrasangeet, traditional folk songs, melodies of commercial movies. This band’s music blends a radical departure, fusing Bengali folk, baul music, urban-American folk and Jazz to create a unique sound described as “Baul Jazz”. Initially they were called “Saptarshi”, but they felt a need for a more descriptive name that reflected them. The members gradually settled on “Moheener Ghoraguli” proposed by Ranjan Ghoshal. This name was inspired by a line from the Bengali poem – “ঘোড়া” (Ghora) by Jibananda Das. They did not gain much popularity during their active years (1975 -1981); but they did gain popularity in the following decades. 

Between 1975 and 1981, the original lineup of Moheener Ghoraguli released three vinyl albums and performed frequently in Kolkata. They debuted with the album “Shongbigno Pakhikul O Kolkata Bishayak” on 1977. They released their second album “Ajaana Udonto Bostu ba Aw-Oo-Baw” on 1978. They did a number of live performances in different places. Among them the noteworthy were - Jogesh Mime Academy in 1977 and 1978, Star Theater in 1978, Rabindra Sadan in 1977 and 1979, Kolkata International Jazz Festival in 1980, Calcutta School of Music in 1981.

The core members of this band were – Gautam Chattopadhyay (vocals, lead, guitar, saxophone), Pradip Chatterjee (bass, flute), Tapas Das, also known as Bapi (vocals, guitar) , Ranjan Ghoshal ( lyrics, visuals, media outstretch), Biswanath ‘Bishu’ Chattopadhyay (drums), Abraham Mazumder (piano, violin) and Tapesh Bandopadhyay – also known as Bhanu (vocal, guitar), later on replaced by Raja Banerjee.

Their greatest innovation lay in their subject matter. Instead of pastoral beauty or romanticized concepts of love. They sang of trams, dingy offices, restless streets and suffocated dreams. 

In “Shongbigno Pakhikul O Kolkata Bishayak”, the city becomes the character – anxious, alive and chaotic. 

“সংবিগ্ন পক্ষীকুল, আর কলকাতা বিষয়ক – ছুটছে, ভাসছে, কাঁদছে শহর। “(Colour creates a juncture, and Kolkata’s essence – it runs, it floats, the whole city weeps). This music is not for escapism; it’s music for recognition. 

Each of their songs was a slice of social history, written in chords in metaphors.

"এ বিশ্বরূপ দেখে চুপ করে থাকি যদি আমি নেহাতই বেহায়া " (If I were to remain silent in the face of this universal spectacle, I would truly be a shameless soul). This song asks the responsible citizens to take a step to stand against corruption.

“হায় ছোট্ট এই পৃথিবী, কত ক্ষণস্থায়ী” (ah, this small world, so fragile, so transient). This song reflects on the fleeting nature of human existence.

Among their extraordinary songs, few of their important songs are:

Manush Chena Daay

Moymonsingha Geetika

Ajana Udonto Bostu

Porashonay Jolanjoli

Ei Muhurta

Pakhider Sure Gaan

Ganga

Shono Sudhijon

Hay Bhalobashi

Moheener Ghoraguli’s importance lies far beyond their short life span (1975–1981). Commercially, they never achieved grand success. But the impact they generated through their music stays within us and urges us to fight for our rights. They gave a voice to the invisible – the clerk on trams, unemployed graduates, tired wanderers. They also widen the boundaries of music. They inspired generation to follow – Fossils, Chandrabindoo, Abhilasha, Cactus, Lakkhichhara, Parash Pathar and Shahar. 

Though dismissed at their time as “too strange”, Moheener Ghoraguli’s music survived cassettes passed hand to hand, in the whispered devotion of fans, and in the courage of artists they inspired. Their songs were rediscovered not just as music, but as cultural documents – poems of a city, protests in disguise, dreams sung out loud.

They once sang in the “জীবনটা এত ছোট, হায়, কত অপূর্ণ।” (life is so fleeting, alas, how much remains incomplete!)

They remind us that music is not only and entertainment – it is a testimony, resistance and memory. In their chords, one hears not only the despair of a generation but also its stubborn hope.

Moheener Ghoraguli was never just a band. They were a rebellion wrapped in rhythm, a diary of Calcutta written in songs. Their lyrics continue to echo as they were not bound by time; they were rooted in truth.