Bhavna Records and Cassettes ushered in Tagore’s birthday a little early by coinciding its tribute to the bard with its own foundation day celebrations at Rabindra Sadan on May 4. Nearly everyone who has cut an album with Bhavna in recent times was invited to sing, and this included some Rabindrasangeet institutions and groups as well. Of the groups, Baikali (led by Pramita Mullick), Madhuri (Swastika Mukhopadhyay) and Anandadhwani (under Maya Sen) showed what dedicated rehearsing and guidance on scansion can achieve. However, if Surangama’s E ki sudha-rasa aane and Je kebol paliye beray were any indication, then the future of Rabindrasangeet schools, established by disciples of the poet to disseminate his music, looks worse than bleak.

One goes to events like these to listen to new artists. The ones chosen this evening — Rituparna, Damayanti Bhattacharya, Anuradha Biswas, Sudeshna Basu, Rakhee Sen — presented a picture of unrelieved mediocrity. It is a wonder how someone like Anurupa Mitra has an album to her name. Some redeeming performances came from Sharmishtha Sinha, Chandana Chowdhury and Anindya Narayan Biswas (even if his attempt at the taal-bound Nilanjana-chhaya was half-hearted). But the pick of the young lot was Bikram Singh (picture), if only for his deep engagement with the songs, Aha kemone bodhilo tore, and the keertan-anga version of Majhe majhe taba dekha pai. Manisha Murali Nair’s Rupe tomay bholabo na was as gracefully subdued as Manoj Murali Nair’s Krishnakali was dramatic. Pramita Mullick and Swastika Mukhopadhyay demonstrated why their nuanced, cerebral styles are still quite matchless.