Sanjay Manjrekar's love for Tagore songs

JAIPUR: The moment he finished his song, he lifted his face with a little trepidation to get the response from his music teacher, intensely watching him from the other side of the glass door of the recording studio. "Well done," she said putting a thumbs-up sign leaving him in a state of unbridled childlike happiness.
Well. Can you guess the singer? He is Sanjay Manjrekar, the former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator.Known as Mr Perfectionist of his playing days, Manjrekar is all set to release an album on Rabindra Sangeet on October 4 in Kolkata. Training him for the album is eminent Rabindra Sangeet specialist Srabani Sen. "I must appreciate his perseverance and dedication. His love and vision for Tagore's songs is unwavering," she said.
An avid fan of Kishore Kumar, Manjrekar is very particular about his singing and until he is satisfied, he refuses to give up. He said the musical journey helped him realise his interest and love for Rabindra Sangeet. "Music has no boundaries unlike sports where there are rules in places," he said.
The former Mumbai cricketer said the album is a kind of tribute to Kishore Kumar. "Hindi songs are always my favourite. But when I listened to Ami chini go chini tomare by Kishore Kumar, I was bowled over. Then I decided to opt for Tagore songs. You can feel the mood while singing Rabindra Sangeet," said the former India cricketer.
Talking about his passion for music, he said, "I used to sing songs regularly during my playing days whenever I used to get time in between the matches. My colleagues in the dressing room also used to like my songs. So, singing has been my habit for long time."
Debasish Roy Choudhury, a well-known Rabindra sangeet expert said it's a sheer joy to watch Manjrekar singing. "Whatever be your frame of mind, positive or negative, whatever be the feelings, joy or despair, sadness or contentment, you will find them all expressed in the pages of Gitabitan. And for a non-Bengali, it's really difficult to understand the inner meanings. I am saying this because unless you are well versed with the language, you cannot justify yourself. If I lend my voice to the song "Aaj Jyotsna Raatey Sabai Gachhe Bonne (On A Full Moon Night Such As This, Everyone Has Retired To The Forest), the voice, the diction, the pronunciation will take the song to a different level. But someone who doesn't know the language, it would be an exercise in futility. But Manjrekar has proved himself as a gifted singer. And his unique manner of laying stress on certain notes in the songs lent them both eloquence and feeling.
As per a series of tweets from Manjrekar's official Twitter account, it can be learnt that how he enjoyed Tagore's songs. "One of the happiest day of my life. A dream fulfilled. To sing Rabindrasangeet in bengali. Put in the hours (years) before recording it."