Dear Farid bhai,
I was going through your article AMI BANGLAR GAAN GAI
NIYE KISU KATHA..I think, inspite of Protul
Mukharjeee`s Rich lyrics and melody  Babu is the one
who took the song to the real listeners.I have many
experinces to join Protul`s stage show  in our
university campus ( Jadavpur University, Kolkata ) it
had been sometimes really boring for young people like
us at that time becouse he never used any musical
instruments and not even any sound system.Once ,I can
remember him becoming angry with one of the young
audience  and openly rebuking that poor fellow for he
went out of the room while he( Protul ) was singing.I
thought he acted like a school teacher rather than an
artist.He used to be invited frequently to our campus
as our Arts Faculty Students Union was dominated by
SFI (,CPIM supported student front), and Protul Babu
is a big fan of Marxism . However, I respect Protul
Mukhopadhay as a great artist though I don`t like his
presenting style.

I believe that any good Bangla music always finds it`s
real adorers  from Bangladesh,not from West Bengal. I
can here remember  that
Mousumi Di ( Mousumi Bhoumik ) used to ask us (
Bangladeshi Students, she is also a Jadavpurian from
our dept. like Kabir Suman) if we could arrange her a
stage show in Bangladesh. Later she also got her real
listeners from Bangladesh.

You are also very much correct in your openion that
West Bengal people are very much ignorant on our
culture. I was very surprised
when I was asked as a Bangladeshi " Are you a Bengali
,or a Muslim?" I placed my ans.nicely though.It is
said in India that West Bengal is a more liberal
society ,but I never experienced any social mixing
among Hindus and Muslims in my 5 years staying there.
Common people ( who vote for CPM ) live with strong
communal feelings, Muslims are disrespectfully called
NERRE,like Hindus in Bangladesh are called MALAUN. My
husband has  many bitter enperiences as a Muslim
there.For example:

--What is Ur name?
---Harunor Rashid
---What?
---Harunor Rashid
----Harun...ki?
---Harunor Rashid...
---Harun-ur...  ki?
----Can I write my name for you..?
----Jante chaisi, bolte problem ta ki?
Now, I think you can understand.

I hope you are doing fine.
Please take care.
Monika