Born and raised in Kailashahar, Tripura, composer Debanjan Biswas had childhood dreams of becoming a professional tennis player. At 16, however, the world of music began enchanting him and he began exploring it on a deeper level. When he won the All India Fingerstyle Guitar and Bengaluru’s Spring Fest competitions, he knew where his future lay.
Biswas recently recorded with the Film Harmonic Orchestra Prague, conducted by Adam Klemens, at the Smecky Music Studio in Prague. These recordings will be used on the collaborative album Aagman: A World Symphony, which he plans to release later this year. The set will feature guest artistes like Mohan Veena maestro Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, sitar player Bhagirath Bhatt, sarod exponent Sarang Kulkarni, shehnai player S. Ballesh, tabla artiste Ojas Adhiya, ghatam whiz Giridhar Udupa and pianist Ron Cha.
The earlier plan was to record with tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain in December. Says Biswas, “We shall dedicate this album to him. His passing has left a profound impact on us, and his artistry, vision and kindness will remain in our hearts forever.”
Biswas says the journey of Aagman began after the positive response to his song Sahara during the Pandemic. The video talks of a physically disabled girl who stays in the eastern valleys. Says the composer, “The song connected people across diverse cultures when they needed it most. This unexpected success sparked the dream of creating an album that would reflect the rich, multifaceted nature of global music.”
One of the key elements that shaped this album was Biswas’s deep exploration of India’s diverse cultures and human expressions. He elaborates, “During my travels across the country, I immersed myself in the traditions, struggles and stories of people from every corner of India. These experiences gave me an unparalleled depth of understanding, not just of the music but also of the soul of humanity.”
During the Pandemic, he would often speak with producer Akshay Dabhadkar, who also served as the album’s creative director. He adds, “We started the project with a clear understanding that it would be self-funded. With limited resources, we would have to work with a smaller pool of musicians. That’s when we had the honour of collaborating with Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. This collaboration laid the foundation for other global partnerships that followed, slowly turning my dream into a reality.”
Having thought of the broad structure, Biswas says the process of writing the compositions was deeply personal and organic. He explains, “Each piece came to life in different ways. Some melodies appeared naturally while I was sitting at the piano, letting my hands wander across the keys. Others came to me in dreams, and I would wake up to record the phrases that had emerged in my mind. Each song carries its own story, its own emotional journey.”
In 2023, Biswas underwent a major surgery. While recovering, he experienced emotions that were profoundly intense. He says, “The deep introspection that came with that experience shaped the music. The selection of artistes for the album came together in a very natural, almost instinctive way. We didn’t have a strict plan or deliberate strategy. We consciously composed two songs with Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. The other collaborations unfolded naturally, with each artiste contributing in ways that felt completely intuitive.”
The Prague show came about organically. Biswas elaborates, “At the start of 2024, we were preparing to record a string symphony for the album, which is a significant milestone for any solo artist, especially for a debut album. Initially, we had planned to record in Budapest with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. However, we ended up collaborating with the Prague Film Harmonic Orchestra instead. The concept for the recording was largely shaped by our musical colleague Samarth Srinivasan, whose contributions to the album have been invaluable.”
Besides Sahara, Biswas has earlier released the single Aachi Aami, a Bengali song which features him and Surangana Bandyopandhyay on vocals, production by Advait Sawant, flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, sarod player Abhishek Borkar and others. The song won the Clef music award for best regional folk song. With Aagman, he hopes to reach a wider international audience.
