Dhun Based Folk Song Of Bengal | Guitar | Debasis Chakroborty | Folk Music of India

Pandit Debasis Chakroborty, a slide guitar exponent of the Senia-Maihar Gharana, performs a dhun drawn from the folk song tradition of Bengal, accompanied by Sanju Sahai on tabla. This recording is from the inaugural Rhythms of India: KalaSudha's Cultural Odyssey concert, held at Britannia Village Hall, London, on 6 May 2023.

The Bengali folk dhun form sits outside the raga framework, drawing from the melodic patterns of Baul, Bhatiali, and Kirtan traditions, where the emphasis falls on lyrical contour and rhythmic pulse rather than strict grammar. The Indian Slide Guitar, with its capacity for continuous pitch glides and open string resonance, mirrors the vocal character these folk melodies carry in their original form.

Chakroborty moves through the folk material with the phrasing clarity of a classical musician working in a lighter idiom, keeping the melodic phrases open and song-like, while Sahai's tabla holds the rhythmic ground without intruding on the folk character of the piece.