Mita Kundu and Sudipta Majumdar

Hello Readers! Since we had no rehearsals for Chitra over the holiday weekend, I decided to take this opportunity to talk to the artists from the Portland Bengali American community who are a part of the production. In this post you will meet Mita Kundu (a renowned singer) and Sudipta Majumdar (who co-authors this blog and also acts in this production). You will meet two more amazing artists - Bhaskar Ganguly and Krishna Ganguly in our next blog post.

First let’s meet Mita:

Mita Kundu is an internationally acclaimed singer, crossing genres of Indian classical, devotional and folk music. Mita is regarded by music gurus as one of the most versatile singers of the Bengal region. Mita graduated in Rabindrasangeet (with Honors) from Rabindra Bharati University, a premiere music school in Kolkata. She is a recipient of “Sangeet Prabhakar” degree from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, a renowned music school in Allahabad, India. As Founder and Director of Sargam-USA, a music school in Portland, Oregon, Mita mentors youth and adults alike in reaching their musical potential. She is also the Executive Director of Sargam Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that funds underprivileged, talented musicians in India and

U.S.A.

In this production you will hear a customized sound track in the distinct style of Tagore’s music called “Rabindra Sangeet”. This track was composed and created specially for this production by artists in Kolkata, India. Both Anita & NWCT were overjoyed when Mita agreed to lend her melodious voice singing her version of “Swapno Modir Neshay Mesha”. It is an absolute joy to

listen to. We spoke at length about her collaboration with Anita and Sarah and this is what she had to say:

Ritu: How did you come to collaborate with Anita and Sarah?

Mita: I’ve known Anita for a long time. But according to Anita, she was hesitating to contact me for only one song. But Bhaskar Ganguly (another Portland based Bengali American artist and a common friend) told her not to worry about that. So, Anita and Sarah graciously reached out to me just before I was heading out to India. Anita explained that she was trying to create “Chitra” based off from the stories of Mahabharata and also taking cue from Tagore’s dance drama Chitrangada. She asked me to help with Tagore’s song “Swapno Modir Neshay Mesha”, and I gladly agreed!

Ritu: How was your experience collaborating with NWCT?

Mita: Anita undertakes challenging projects and executes it at the highest quality level. So on our first meeting I told Anita that I would like my “dada” (elder brother) Gora Gupta (a renowned musician and composer-director based in Kolkata, India), to compose the music for the song to make it at par with some of the other “pro” music from India that Anita was planning to use. Anita immediately agreed. The beginning was extremely pleasing. As I started working from Portland with my brother in Kolkata, to give Anita a sample of the final song before I headed out to India, the challenges became a bit overwhelming. But with Anita’s patience and support we presented a “rehearsal” version before I left Portland! The final production version was e-mailed to her before Christmas, after recording in Kolkata! Although we were working remotely most of the time, Anita never let me feel that way. That made not only me, but my dada, very impressed. It’s always fun to work with folks like Anita.

Ritu: Can you tell me a little bit about your perspective on Anita and Sarah’s adaptation of Tagore’s Chitrangada?

Mita: I have been a part of Tagore’s “Chitrangada” in the past, during my “schooling” in Geetabitan and in Rabindrabharati University. It’s really tough, even with professional performers of Kolkata, to do justice about what Tagore wanted to portray. Trying to bring “Chitrangada” to wider American audience especially children, is by itself, worthy of a huge accolade. My expectation will be to see an interpretation of the “character” that “energizes” the audience and tells the younger kids, especially the girls, to be bold, be loving and in trying times, put the “social responsibility” above all.

Ritu: Any other thoughts that you would like to share about your experience

Mita: There are many. I will mention just one:

Expressing the inner conflicts of Chitrangada and expressing all her mood changes both in the music parts and in the song was challenging for both me and my dada, Gora. But at the end it has really been a thrilling and gratifying experience! And again thanks to Anita, Bhaskar and all my musician brothers in Kolkata.

Thank you Mita for taking the time to speak with us. It was a pleasure talking to her and getting to know her perspective on the production. The soundtrack is beautiful and I’m sure Portland audiences will be amazed to hear about the amount of work and attention to detail that went into creating it!

I would now like to introduce you all to Sudipta Majumdar. Besides being the co-author of these blog posts, she will be playing one of the principal characters in this production. You will see her play the role of Vasant “God of Spring”. Her enthusiasm is so infectious that I didn’t even have to ask her questions! We had a lively chat about her collaboration and participation and this is what she had to say:

The idea was to present a children’s play inspired from Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Chitrangada’ on an American Main Stage and bringing the tale of the East into the lives of children in the West, giving them a whole new ‘Hero’ to admire - And this idea was enough to pique my interest and rope me in from the very beginning. Furthermore, my interactions with the very talented individuals at Northwest Children’s Theatre assured me that it was the right call.

For me, it was an opportunity to learn from and meet the people involved in the cultural expression of the city. I have known Anita for the past two years and have been training in Bharatanatyam under her, so there was a level of perfection and finesse I was sure would be a part of this production as well. I got the wonderful opportunity to learn a unique dance piece choreographed by Krishna Ganguly set in the Tagore style of dance. We spent one week learning the routine, the mood, the expressions and watched mesmerized as she waltzed through the beats. Ritu and I are excited to introduce you to Krishna Ganguly in our next blog post. The music for this dance is amazing and the one you read all about above. Sung by one of our amazing Bengali American artists - Mita Kundu, the sound track was specially composed for this production.

One of the best experience so far was the two weekends we spent making Character Delivery for the season’s tickets to the homes of the little ones. Dressed up as ‘Chitra’ for this event, I got to drive around Portland with a sword (albeit, a fake one!) and walk into the homes of these little members of NWCT bringing in their tickets for the season.

It was an absolute joy to watch them so excited, curious and most importantly involved in the world that the theatre creates and brings into their lives. This collaboration brought about by NWCT, Sarah Jane and Anita Menon sure opens up the gate for an endearing cultural exchange and provides a platform for the artists to explore. I cannot wait for the play

to open and see the tale unfold unto an entirely new audience, who I’m sure is just as excited as I am!!

Thank you Sudipta for talking to us about your experiences. I can’t wait to see you as Vasant on stage!

It was a pleasure getting to know Mita’s and Sudipta’s perspectives on the production. Stay tuned for our next post where you will meet two more artists from the Bengali American community in Portland.

Do you have questions you'd like answered on the blog? Email us at production@nwcts.org and let us know if you have any questions about the production. What would you like to hear about? Anything from behind the scenes? Let us know!