As Dohar completed its 19-year-long journey today, vocalist Rajib Das said the late Kalika Prasad Bhattacharya is sorely missed. Talking about their first show, Rajib said, “On August 7, we did our first show at Students’ Hall on College Street. We needed a name for the show and professor Avik Majumdar, with whom Kalikada shared a great rapport, suggested we call it Bhalo Dohar.
Dohar means chorus and later, we analysed it differently. As a group, we collect Lok Sangeet from the nooks and corner of the country and later present it to the urban audience. By doing so, we act as the chorus for the artistes. The show was a grand success. After the show, we left a gamcha on the floor and urged people to contribute, as we had spent some money to organise the show. The money that we collected not only covered the show’s costs, but left us with an excess. We had a gala dinner with that.”
On a day like this, Rajib said he can’t stop thinking about Kalika Prasad. “I shared a precious bond with him. I could call him at all odd hours in the night. Though I miss him terribly, I often think how I can never call him or hear his voice anymore.”