| Bhoomi | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Genres | Bangla rock, folk, fusion |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Sa Re Ga Ma, Times Music, Universal Music Group |
| Website | www.bhoomimusic.com |
| Members | |
| Surojit Chatterjee Soumitra Ray Abhijit Ghosh Hemant Goswami Robin Lai |
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Bhoomi (ভুমি) is a music group based in Kolkata, India. They are a Bangla (বাংলা, Bengali) language band. In July 2006 they became the first Indian band to play at the United Nations.
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Bhoomi was formed in 1999, with the aim of reviving the folk music of Bengal and making it popular amongst all sections of the society by providing it an urban touch. The band was initially created out of the interest of the two founding members - Surojit Chatterjee and Soumitra Ray - to experiment with the vast store of traditional (and in many cases non-attributed) Bengali Folk music (প্রচলিত গান, "procholito gaan") and mix it with their repertoire of Western music and instrumentation.
Bhoomi all over Bengal Bhoomi's journey that began in Kolkata in 1999, has seen it winning hearts, souls and minds with spectacular performance in district towns and capitals such as Durgapur,Dherdhere govindapur, Harishchandrapur, Chuchura, Kolaghat, Bakreswar, Farakka, Burdwan, Srirampore, Midnapore, Howrah, Kanthi, Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, Chanchol, Coochbehar, Kalyani, Raigunj, Burnpur, Katwa, Asansol, Kulti, Konnagar, Gangarampur, Media, Duttaphulia, Haldia, Rishra, Chandanagore, Dasnagar, Bankura, Hamiltongunge, Baidyabati, Malda, Balurghat, Bishnupur, Baharampore, Siuri, Bankura, Liluah, Santragachhi, Naihati, Burdwan, Shibpur, Chittaranjan, Santaldih, Habra, Bongaon, Diamond Harbour, Kharda, Bali, Kamarhati, Madhyamgram, Shantiniketan, Ranaghat, Andal, Barrackpore, Batanagore, Dinhata, Malbazar, Nabadwip and many other places of Bengal.
Bhoomi is the only Bangla Band that has conquered urban Bengal as well as the remotest villages of the state.
Bhoomi all over India
Bhoomi's performances have also conquered Shilong, Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Jharkhand, Hyderabad, Jamshedpur, Ranchi and Assam as on date.
Bhoomi in other countries Bhoomi's tunes have sailed across the Seven Seas.
Bhoomi has performed in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Texas, Edmonton, Atlanta , Sacramento, Seattle, Chicago , Toronto , Chicoutimi, Ohio, Houston, San diego , Phoenix , Kansas , Washington , Cleaveland, North Carolina, Raleigh , Abu Dhabi , Quatar , Kuwait , Singapore , Glasgow , Liverpool, UN headquarters in New York and the Montreal Jazz Festival.
Bhoomi has fan following in countries like Germany, England, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa, Muskat, Dubai, and many more as of today.
This is the only band which defines its music as ‘urban folk’.The band uses a fusion of modern, urban lyrics with Bangla rural folk tunes like Baul which was a very early style of music by wandering minstrels in rural Bengal or Bhatiyali (traditionally sung by the boatmen on the Ganges and also the Padma in Bangladesh). They have also re-done (remix would be an injustice to the band's style) old folk songs which were unknown to the modern day urban Bengali and revived such gems with an infusion of fresh music and a lively spirit and pep to the old songs.
The band's efforts have been to expand their brand of urban music beyond the college campus and youth circuit to the older listener. One of their main inspirations behind their music is everyday city life, which they experience and which is experienced by so many people everywhere.
Their popularity is rooted in a unique sound that combines a variety of traditional folk tunes with an array of western rhythms with western instrumentations and mixed harmoniously with Bengal's folk instruments like the Khamak, Ektara, Khonjoni, etc.
Surojit Chatterjee and Soumitro Ray's meeting and their experimentation with folk resulted in the formation of the band with the name Bhoomi - meaning Earth - which gelled in, in spirit and essence with their earthly and folksy style - along with the other members. Their current line-up includes 5 band members -
From their humble beginnings - they played to all kinds of audiences - they gained popularity and their fame spread in West Bengal, their home state. They played to both urban as well as rural audiences, sometimes playing to small crowds of village gatherings in front of paddy fields, the rural Bengal backdrop forming their song's canvas and background as well as the palette into which they dipped in to get their inspiration and source, sometimes to audiences of over 40,000 people at annual village fairs.
Touring around the country in a punishing schedule finally resulted in the big break they were looking for - wide appeal beyond the college circuit and reach to the people new to this form of radically different folk music in Bengal. Their single "Baranday Roddur" written and composed by Surojit from their debut album finally caught the attention of the Bengali urban listener with its catchy tune and simplistic lyrics which jived with the modern bengali psyche very well. The song catapulted the group to new heights of stardom.
Surojit's unassuming lead along with the group members' simple and casual stage presence but lively music in live performances landed them more gigs, and very soon they were playing with other folk/rock bands from around the world - spreading their magic beyond the borders of Bengal.
Since the debut album, they have gone on to play folk songs they wrote which were influenced by influences from western music - like the blues. This is prominent in their song "Bhangor Mohiser Gaan" sung by Surojit - a salute to the herdsman's wife who waits for her husband and cattle's return from the forests - each day endangered by the threat of wild animals which prey on them both. There were gems from the traditional Baul based minstrel songs - which imparted a spiritual message alongside - like "Emon Manob Jonom" , "Kancha Haarite" & "nadi bhora dheu" sung by Surojit. "tomae hrid majhare raakhbo" by Soumitra .
Touring has been one of their strong points. They have played in the USA in four touring seasons - and each time doing a hectic schedule around the country - initially in California and the Mid-West and then subsequently in various cities on the East Coast. In 2006 they capped off their live performance tour program in the United States with a performance at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, in a special performance for UN Staff. This was their 880th live performance - an incredible achievement for any live band who have resurrected folk music from its forgotten and dust-gathered past.
Their UN performance resulted in the group penning their first song in English - For a Better Day written and composed by Soumitra and sung by both Soumitra and Surojit.
In 2008 Bhoomi was the only Asian Band to perform at the International Jazz Festival at Montreal, Canada.
Bhoomi performed at the Nazrul Manch stadium on behalf of the BBC World Service Trust [1]
Bhoomi performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival on 28 June 2008, 9 PM [2]
Bhoomi performed at NABC 2006 Houston & NABC 2008 Toronto [3]
Bhoomi performed at Bangamela 2008 at Columbus [4]
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