Arundhati & Sibaji

Arundhati Holme-Chowdhury

Arundhati became suddenly well-known after her beautiful rendering of the exquisite song 'Phagoon ke daaklaam'—a very unusual composition with a wonderful melody and philosophical lyrics. I consider this one of Salil's finest creations. She possesses a wonderful voice full of expression and warmth, capable of expressing deep sadness or radiant joy with equal grace. Since then, she has recorded numerous memorable Salil compositions that remain staples of Bengali modern music.

Sibaji Chattopadhaay

Although Sibaji started his career as a 'Hemanta Kumar' clone, he quickly found his own niche. He became popular as a Rabindra Sangeet singer with a deep, warm voice. Salil recognized his talent, using him for film scores and several solo and duet recordings. His ability to hit notes where others struggled in their later years made him a reliable choice for Salil's complex melodies in the late '80s and '90s.

Since Arundhati is married to Sibaji, they share this collection of their solo and collaborative works for Salil Chowdhury.

ID	Song Title	Singer	Year	Cross-Ref / Variations
AS1	Phagun ke daaklaam	Arundhati	1981	Hnd: CB3
AS2	PoDey thaak pichhey ei gaan	Arundhati	1981	Mal: AV2
AS3	Jhilik jhilik karey	Arundhati	1981	-
AS4	Ke jaabi aay	Arundhati	1981	Bng: LM9
AS5	Tumi jodi nodi hotey	Arundhati	1982	Hnd: MP1 Mal: OB27
AS6	Jhim jhim jhim dupurey	Arundhati	1982	-
AS7	Chanchal sonali paakhnaay	Arundhati	1982	Hnd: CD2/OB9
AS8	Kano ghoom aasey naa	Arundhati	1982	-
AS9	Ore sorono nodir paarey	Arundhati	1986	-
AS10	Elo re	Arundhati	1986	-
AS11	O sujon naiyaa	Arundhati	1986	-
AS12	Aar bujhite paarinaa	Arundhati	1986	Bng: DB1
AS13	Mon maataal	Arundhati	1986	Hnd: MT1
AS14	Sahosa agaami diner sapno	Arundhati	1990	Hnd: MP2 Bng: OS43/SC57
AS15	O monke bendhe dhore	Arundhati	1990	Bng: SC50
AS16	Sudure sudure chena chena	Arundhati	1990	Hnd: PK5
AS17	Ore o sujon maajhi	Arundhati & Sibaji	1990	Hnd: OB13
AS18	Odhikaar key kaake dei	Arundhati & Sibaji	1990	Hnd: OB21 Bng: SS2
AS19	Aar ki bolbo	Arundhati & Sibaji	1990	-
AS20	Aar dur nei	Sibaji	1990	Bng: HM18
AS21	Jokhon asojjha hoy	Sibaji	1990	-
AS22	Chole je jaay din	Arundhati	1990	Hnd: AN4 Bng: SY7/OS59

Musical Reflections & Critiques

There is no doubt that Arundhati sang some superb songs for Salil. Very close to my heart is "Phagun ke daaklaam". However, the choice to have her record the Bengali version of "Saathi Re" (from Poonam ki Raat) remains puzzling. That song remains one of Salil's masterly compositions, and Lata Mangeshkar's version is legendary; any other rendition inevitably faces an impossible comparison.

Similarly, the re-recording of "Chole je jaay din" (Song #AS22) by Arundhati suffered from comparison to the original by Shyamal Mitra (AIR) and the iconic Hindi version "Guzar jaay din" by Kishore Kumar. The original's soul seemed missing in this later version, a choice that I largely attribute to Salil's direction during that period.

On the other hand, Sibaji's version of "Aar dur nei" (Song #AS20) is arguably superior to the original Hemanta recording. By the 1980s, Hemanta had sadly lost the technical precision of his youth, making Sibaji’s warm, fresh delivery a welcome and more technically sound interpretation of this beautiful piece.