Manoj-Monisha Murali Nair - A blessed treat

It was the 10 years completion celebration in E-TV bangla on 23rd March, 2010 and as usual I was not interested, was rather busy working on the computer, until I heard some male voice singing a Rabindra Sangeet...immediately I ran to see who it was. I found it was Manoj Nair so I could guess very well that the beautiful lady standing next to him was Manisha - they were the famous brother-sister duo Manoj-Manisha Nair. I had heard a lot about them from my mother and also from her narrations of the music concert reviews published in Desh...but it was the first time I was seeing them.

I had anyway much interest in them for obvious reasons that being Malayalee how they can sing Rabindra Sangeet so well...no 'so well' is not the correct expression...it should be 'so divine'....yes...divine it was their performance on the stage of E-TV Bangala which was waiting to be shaken on the foot thumps of the actors from Bengali film and television industry. Thanks to the channel that they decided to start their programme with them...and I could see the programme...

I don’t remember the first two songs...the first being a very known song by Manoj and second being a very uncommon by Manisha....they had some surprise for the third and fourth....After the secoind song was complete (which was by Manisha Nair), Manoj rendered a brief Karntic alaap and started Ei Akashe Amar Mukti Aloy Aloy. They performed it together and it became just mind-blowing as they inserted some very minute and subtle Karnatic mir.... it was something that I had never heard before and I forgot that I also know the song! It was such new and fresh and extraordinary!

Then Manoj started rendering some English lines tuned in proper English classical music...the lines were about 'Light'...and after 1-2 lines I could guess the song correctly...it was Alo Amar Alo Ago Aloy Bhubon Bhora....they picked the song from the second stanza and it was just marvellous....

I wish I could have the recording of that portion somewhere. I searched for it in the Youtube but I couldn’t find it :(

Thanks Manoj and Manisha...you are blessed by God and Rabindranath both....your blessing is boon for us.... :)