Summer Concert in Dallas :: Bengali Association of Dallas Fort Worth

The one and only... Anjan Dutt

It would be no exaggeration to state that Anjan Dutt is a versatile genius and an institution in the Bengali performing arts scene today. He brings together so many disparate elements of the trade together is such a compelling package from singing to song-writing, acting to directing that is both unique and unmatched amongst contemporaries.

A self-proclaimed protégé of Bob Dylan, Anjan Dutt's music blends heavy influences of Blues, Bluegrass and Country music with a theme of theatrical realism. His music gives voice to the middle-class Bengalis and their dreams, aspirations, their fulfillments and failures. He can be credited with giving rise to a new generation of urban Calcutta youth who learned to thrive and prosper in the wistful mediocrities of lost or unrequited love, temporary unemployment, broken of dreams, hearts, hearths or even the first kiss or the first swig of rum.

Listening to Anjan Dutt’s songs is not just an obsession amongst Bengali youth but it’s a vehicle for coming to terms with life for the urban proletariat across Bengal. The incoherent array of thoughts that glide past our brains find an expression through his songs. He has the ability to make the listeners feel his music, because he doesn’t just sing from his heart, he does so with his brain as well. Anjan Dutt’s songs are not just about rhythm or melody. Rather, his songs are more about words and thoughts. He doesn’t feed words to music; rather he gives music to words.

His songs portray in various capacities the three basic emotions of love, anger and hurt. He paints a tableau of good times and bad, of broken dreams, unrequited love, cold hallucinations, betrayals and urban cynicisms, but also of moments of the simple joys of life. Be it the story of the ‘Mizo Boy’ who leaves his guitar and takes to the gun, or that of ‘Haripada’ who has failed to get out of his same old monotonous life- Anjan Dutt’s songs are a celebration of life.

‘Kolkata 16’ is not only a song of unrequited love but is also a tribute to Park Street, an inseparable part of every Calcuttan’s life, Anjan Dutt being no exception. ‘Rong-Pencil’ and ‘Neel’ beautifully elucidate how the significance of imagery and color respectively, change as one grows up. ‘Ashomoy’ reveals man’s habit to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Conversely, ‘Fire Ashbo’ is the probasi Bengali’s eternal promise to return to his home land, come what may. In ‘Amar Shohor’ and ‘Khyapa Shohor’, he might be speaking of the dirt, decadence, politics and bureaucracy that lingers in the nooks and corners of Calcutta, but in hugely contrasting tones he ends up expressing his sublime love for the City.

All his albums corroborate the fact that he has indeed been true to his musical roots and his mentors who inspired his music. Yet many of his songs can be termed iconic and earned the right to be called classics in their own right. And thus, in spite of all the influences, Anjan Dutt has carved a very singular niche for himself and his works.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are truly excited and fortunate that we will have amidst us a living legend – Anjan Dutt and we hope that you will join us in a celebration of his artistry and genius!