At 25, Prithibi continues to reinvent Bengali rock

A quarter century later, Prithibi isn’t pausing to look back so much as it is taking stock mid-motion. In a music landscape now crowded with quick covers and shorter attention spans, the band’s 25-year run feels quietly defiant, built on original Bengali music, constant reinvention and an almost stubborn refusal to fade. What began as four college friends making music in between adda has, over time, turned into something far more enduring, shaped as much by breaking and rebuilding as by the will to keep going.
For lead vocalist-composer and founding member Koushik Chakraborty, the journey has been defined by evolution shaped through disruption. “Twenty-five years is a long time. Just as people grow and change with age, Prithibi has also evolved,” he says. “We have gone through phases of breaking and rebuilding. Many new musicians have come in and enriched the band with their inputs.” While the band’s sound has moved from its early classic rock roots to what he describes as Bangla alternative rock, the foundation remains intact. “We have not forgotten our roots. We have developed our sound while holding on to that base, and that is what people connect with even today.”
That process of breaking and rebuilding has not been without its most difficult phase. In 2019, Prithibi underwent a complete reset, with an entirely new line-up comprising members nearly half his age. “That was one of the toughest periods for us,” Koushik admits. “To rebuild the band from scratch at that stage was not easy, but it also gave us a new direction.” The current transition, too, comes after a long and considered process. Following nearly three years of internal deliberation and efforts to support a former member through personal challenges, the band has now moved to a new line-up, bringing in Debasish Paul as drummer, alongside Deep Ghosh, Debangshu Bhattacharjee and Deepayan Maitra. The emphasis, Koushik says, has always been on maintaining professional integrity and delivering the best possible performance. “The reason I have been able to continue for 25 years is sheer determination,” he adds.

Any uncertainty around the new formation was quickly addressed. Within a week of the change, the band headlined three major college festivals at IIEST Shibpur, Jadavpur University and Kalyani Government Engineering College, performing to packed audiences and effectively road-testing the line-up in front of large, discerning crowds.
Even as the band adapts internally, it remains equally responsive to larger industry shifts. Koushik points to the crucial role played by FM radio and dedicated music television channels during the early 2000s in shaping the Bengali band movement. “During our college years, we listened to a lot of FM and original Bangla band music. That is when we started dreaming,” he says. “When we released our first and second albums, FM and TV channels did support Bengali music, and that helped bands like us significantly.” The absence of that ecosystem today, however, has altered listening habits. “If FM and television start promoting original Bengali music again, the movement will accelerate further,” he notes, adding that audiences are already showing signs of change. “People are getting tired of cover songs. There is a renewed interest in listening to new, original music.”

This shift is reflected in Prithibi’s release strategy for its fifth studio album, Pragoitihashik. Moving away from traditional album drops, the band is releasing one track at a time across the year. “We realised that it has become difficult to reach listeners with a full album. Most people listen to one or two songs,” Koushik explains. “So we decided to release songs individually and give each one its own space.” The first single, Bidaye Priyotama, has already received strong response, while Abhimani April is set to release later this month. “Listeners today are impatient. The moment one song is out, they start waiting for the next,” he says, describing a format that keeps engagement alive while allowing the band more time to shape each track.
Beyond the local circuit, the band is also expanding its footprint globally, with performances scheduled in Manchester in May and New York City in July, taking Bengali rock to international audiences. Through it all, Koushik acknowledges the role of those who shaped his journey, particularly Rupam Islam. “He is someone from whom I have received immense support,” he says.
From its beginnings as a group of college friends at Asutosh College to becoming a band that has endured multiple reinventions, Prithibi’s journey has been anchored in persistence and belief. “We never thought it would become this serious in the beginning,” Koushik reflects. “But when we saw people connecting with our music, we understood that this was something bigger.” Twenty-five years on, that connection continues to hold, as the band moves forward with the same intent – to create, to adapt and to keep playing as long as the music allows.
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