Bhav Muke
The recent album of poems of Ramesh Tendulkar raised lots of expectations for me. Not only because it was launched by his son Sachin Tendulkar but also because it was composed by Ashok Patki and poems were sung by stalwarts like Shankar Mahadevan, Swapnil Bandodkar, Shan, Suresh Wadkar, Hariharan, Mandar Apte and Ajit Deval. So, went to the shop, purchased it and played on the system. Initial reaction: Disappointment. All the nine poems seem to be sung in almost the same, monotonous tone. You really do not see any variation, warranted either by the theme or by the singer. The absence of a woman singer also adds to this tedium (remember the album of Anil’s poems ‘तुझ्याविना’, where the strengths of different singers - including Devki Pandit - were so nicely exploited?). And yet, in this album, the poems sung by Dr. Ajit Deval (म्हटली तर ओळख) and Mandar Apte (अर्थ अर्थ) are outstanding. Even the last one by Hariharan (निरोप घेऊन) is haunting if you do not listen to other poems before it.
But the use of Marathi on the covers!!! The mistakes are definitely unpardonable for an album of a Marathi Professor. “भाव मुके” are two words; they should not be written as “भावमुके”. The words written like “पहाताएत”, “देताएत”, and “होताएत” are equally jarring.
But you can throw the covers aside. Concentrate on poems! Listen carefully; wipe a tear or two, if they appear so naturally.
Who knows, the music will also grow on you as you listen more often.
No, I do not repent purchasing this album. आनंद घेतोए!
