Coke Studio Bangla proves naysayers wrong, opens with Hajong song

Nasek Nasek, Hapal Gila, Khilabo Aji Amra

(Dance Dance, young ones, we'll play today)

Played, they indeed have. Much controversy surrounded Coke Studio Bangla regarding its name, as many felt that the ethnic groups of Bangladesh were being 'excluded' because of the 'Bangla' tagline.

The first episode of Coke Studio Bangla opened with "Nasek Nasek", a Hajong song written by talented singer Animes Roy, proving this criticism baseless.

Hajong is spoken by the ethnic group in the northern part of Bangladesh and India. The language, classified as Indo-Aryan, brought forth a wonderful playfulness, supported by tight composition and dexterous musicians.

A special mention has to go to Shuvendu Das Shuvo on Mandolin, whose jugalbandi with guitarist Imran Ahmed stole the show mid-way into the performance. However, everyone participating in the song, played their part to perfection.

The song was fused with "Dol Dol Doloni", a timeless composition by Abdul Latif, rendered by Pantha Kanai. Kanai, a veteran vocalist and percussionist, never misses a beat, as he synced perfectly with Animes' energy. The composition and arrangement by Adit Rahman was top-notch.

One area where the production could use improvement is the video editing, where cutaways looked shoddy in places, being able to focus primarily on the vocalists.

However, it would be safe to assume that things will only get better, as the crew sinks its teeth in what is a gold-mine of musicians, led by Shayan Chowdhury Arnob.