Since my childhood days I have always loved making two two’s a four; and this attribute of joining pieces together to make a complete picture came to me just because of my extensive reading of detective stories. A good example could be Ranga pishima (Played by Rakhi Gulzar) in Rituporno Ghosh’s murder mystery flick “Subha Mahurat”, where she solves an entire murder case all by her honed skill that she gained by reading detective stories in lazy afternoons.
I love reading fossils songs more than singing them as I am not a good singer. I found most of the songs written by Rupam for his band “fossils”, as one case study for me, and as soon as I hear them, I pounce on them to solve the puzzle behind it. Whatever I have listened of Fossils in these years, one thing that I have always felt is this - Rupam always consoles something behind his words, which demands tremendous attention from the listener.
Till date the song that troubled me most is “Shasti”. a song from Fossils’ second album “Fossils2”.
On the first go you feel like the author demands punishments for many culprits in the song, and he clarifies their sin one by one. But it’s so tricky to understand, actually who those culprits are?
I will go one by one. The first two sentences are the biggest and toughest riddles to pass.
“Tar Bikkhipto Baje Bakwas majhe majhe Jazz hoye jaay// Utkhipto Kono Upogroher Fere prem hoye fer radha ke Kaday”
The person who is referred in this sentence is Maqsood Haque, more popular by the name of Mac. Mac was the quintessential and talismanic front man of the Bangladesh based band “Dhaka”. In 1999 Mac’s album “RobindroNath – 2010” created a political pandemonium in Bangladesh. Political leaders accused Mac for intentionally tampering Tagore’s song, and gave it a name of “regret to the world famous poet” as the album contained a Tagore’s song “Na Chahile Jare pawa jaay” in the form of Jazz.
In a show telecasted in “BTV”, Mac sung the song “Na Chahile Jare pawa jaay”, and after that BTV banned Mac. The issue even went far to knock the doors of BBC too.
After a few days Mac was taken in to the police custody. The allegation against Mac was that he had beaten his wife Niboo Haque badly. His wife herself strongly protested against the allegation, but no one listened. Mac was tortured and beaten badly in Police custody for days.
Rupam has always told the world about how Mac inspired him as a figure to look up to.
So there’s obviously a bridge that we can draw between Mac and Rupam. I believe its also written somewhere in ROTR, a book written by Rupam himself.
Now we can get hold of the “Jazz” part here, but the question arises from where the references of a launched satellite and Radha are coming in this context? Now think again.
The show was telecasted on BTV and only after that the protesting majority became aware of the song. Now that’s the connection of launched satellite here and how the up rise of technology stepped it up to make it a hot cake as it was.
Now here comes the Radha’s part. I must say it’s really tricky and interesting too. Mac’s wife Niboo Haque was the cousin of Mac only. Niboo’s protest against the false allegation of arrest of his husband is reffered as “Radha’s cry”. But why? in Mythology Krishna is told as Radha’s maternal cousin and Mac too shared a same relationship of blood with his wife .In fact Mac himself recorded a song “Kandey krishno Mon”, which seems to be replicating his forced split from his wife.
Then “Sei Jehadi’s” Terrorist is obviously Mac. Now, remember the initial naming of “Fossils 2” was “Jihad” and it only got converted in to “Fossils 2”, because with the name of “Jihad” it was virtually impossible to master it in post 9/11 US. Mac’s songs in many ways can be called Jihad, as they directly attacked the society, the corruption that goes in it in the name of religion and politics. Some song lyrics even consisted of the name’s of Bangladesh’s political leaders too.
What ever we have read up to now are riddles basically. Thus comes these lines
“Raji Hoye path nite nite heyalir, Baji hoye ami fete gechi dewalir”
Now the song takes a new path, from the second next line.
“Cheye Dher soja Salvador Dalir chhobi Bojha”
Tell me, who is a better love in this world than Jesus Christ? I guess no one.
“St. John of the Cross” by Salvador Dali is the skeleton of love reffered as “Kono Premik er Konkal Pujo hoy kono museum e “, which is still there in a museum in New York. The next line also belongs to Jesus in the form of “Kono Nihoter naam e Khoma cheye Chithi Ashe roj Neel kham e”. In Jerusalem’s post office many letters till date are thrown away in the bin only because they have no valid address to be delivered. Why? Because they are all written to Jesus.
Just one verse ago, the author had put Maqsood (a Muslim by religion) and Krishna (The Hindu God) in the same zone. And now he is keeping Mac in the same place with Jesus (The god of Christian community) as he says “Crusade e Krooshey dey Nyay Bichar hok Nastik er”. Rupam calls him self as an “atheist” by religion too. In fact in many songs of Mac too you will find this similarity between Rupam and Mac, as Mac himself wrote many songs against organized religion.
The solving of the riddle behind “Shasti” still puts a smile of little pride in my face and a bit of relief too. I regard it as the last and the 3rd best song of “Fossils”.
