Sargam notations for Bengali song – ‘Chokher joler…’
Singer : Kishore Kumar
Lyrics : Mukul Dutta
Music : Hemanta Mukhopadhyay
Album : Amar Pujar Phool (1982)
Pitch : G
PRELUDE:
SGP DP DP DP (x2)
Chokher | joler | hoyna | kono | rong
G G | G G~M | R G | M Mn | D…
tobu | koto | ronger | chhobi | achhe | aaka (x2)
DDM | MMP | P P | P(D)P | M G | R GP MP G
dekhte | giye | hariye | gelam
G R | S ,N | ,N R S | ,N ,D,N
gohin | adhar | pothe | akaa | bakaa
,P ,D | ,DS ,N S | ,D,N,D | ,PG…~R R(G)R S
MUSIC : ,P ,D ,N S R G M P D N S’ S’
ANTARA 1:
swapno | diye | monke | ami
NN | NN | N N | S’ R’S’
bhuliye | gelam | rekhe
S’S’R’ | S’ N S’ | D(N)D
tobu | kamon | kore | kanna
DD | P D | D(S’)N | D P
ato | elo | kotha | theke (x2)
M G | R R | GGP | M P
bhule | bhora | shobuj | moner
P M | G R | M G | R S
akaash | dhowai | dhakaa
(S)G…R S ,N ,D… | P G…~R R(G)R~S S
chokher joler….
ANTARA 2:
bhanga | moner | dewalete |
G G | G GM | R G (P)M G
swapno | aaka | chhilo
S R | RG G~R | SS,N ,D
pother | dhuloi | kamon | kore |
,D,DR | R R | R R | GMP |
chhoriye | pore | gelo (x2)
M MR | R GM | G G
kuriye | tomar | acholete |
N N N | N N | N N S’ R’S’
bedhe | dite | chaai
S’S’R’ | S’NS’ | D N D
nutun | kono | shargo | debo |
P D | DS’N | D P | M G
kothai | khuje | paai
R G | P M | P
taito | jibon | shomoy | diye |
P M | G R | M G | R S
shajiye | nilo | paakhaa
(S)G…R S ,N ,D… | P G…~R | R(G)R~S S
chokher joler….
ABOUT THIS SONG:
Every Durga Pujo, as the dhaak rolls and the scent of shiuli fills the air, one song quietly steals hearts across pandals: “Chokher Joler Hoyna Kono Rong.” Sung soulfully by Kishore Kumar, penned by Mukul Dutta, and composed by the legendary Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, this non-filmi gem from the album Aamar Poojar Phul (1982) has become a cultural heirloom.
What many don’t know is that the song was never meant to be a Pujo anthem. Mukul Dutta had written the lyrics during a personal moment of grief, reflecting on how tears—though colorless—carry the deepest hues of memory. Hemanta da, moved by the rawness of the words, composed the melody in a single sitting, reportedly saying, “This isn’t just a song—it’s a prayer.”
Kishore Kumar, known for his flamboyance, approached the recording with unusual solemnity. He requested the studio lights be dimmed and asked for no retakes. “Let the imperfections stay,” he said, “they’re part of the emotion.” That take became the final version.
The song’s rise to Pujo prominence was organic. A Kolkata pandal committee played it during a quiet moment of Anjali, and the crowd stood still. Since then, it’s become a ritual—played not for celebration, but for reflection.
In a festival of colors, Chokher Joler Hoyna Kono Rong reminds us that some emotions are beyond spectacle. They are felt in silence, in memory, and in the quiet dignity of a tear.
