There is Bhatiali, the river songs of boatmen in a region rich in rivers. But there is also a whole genre of songs penned by the saint and social reformer Lalon Fakir. The music of the wandering minstrel Bauls, inspired by Muslim Sufis and Hindu Vaishnavs, is probably the most famous. My question is, why not?” says Mishra.īengal has a very rich folk tradition. “People ask me how a guy who sings folk songs can win the trophy. It’s about the very place of folk in mainstream music. But the furore over Arkadeep Mishra, the folk singer who won the competition, brings up a far more contentious issue than one season’s singing champion. No reality show verdict will please everyone. I know him to the core,” she wrote online, indignantly rejecting the charges against him. “I have lived with Joy Sarkar, a through and through music aficionado. It reached such a pass that Lopamudra Mitra, herself a renowned singer of both folk music and Rabindrasangeet, had to take to social media to defend her husband, composer Joy Sarkar, who happened to be one of the judges. The judges, all of them reputed musicians, have been accused without evidence of everything, from conspiracy to bias to outright corruption.
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The comments on Zee Bangla’s Facebook page have been overwhelmingly negative. And that has landed the channel, the show and the judges in a soup. For the first time ever, a folk singer was declared the winner. The immensely popular Bengali singing talent show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on Zee Bangla created history last weekend. Ire against folk singer's win in Bengali reality show is reminder that folk music is still viewed as 'poor country cousin'