Kabir Suman mocks Mamata over Toongate, composes song

Kolkata, April 17 (IANS) Causing more embarrassment to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is drawing flak over the arrest of a professor for circulating cartoons, singer-turned-Trinamool Congress MP Kabir Suman has composed a song, "Hasi Niye Thako" (Live with a smile), mocking the state government.

Banerjee has drawn severe criticism from all sections of the society for arresting Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra for allegedly circulating a cartoon. The incident has triggered fear among a large section of intellectuals and a cross-section of commoners who say they are "scared" by the state government's moves.

Mahapatra, a professor of physical chemistry, had claimed he had sent the cartoon mail for "pure fun" to his friends.

Suman, a Trinamool Congress MP from Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency who had earlier penned several songs and blogs criticising various steps of the Banerjee-led government, has this time composed a song called 'Hasi Niye Thako' (Live with a smile) mocking the arrest of the professor.

"Hasi niye Thako/Hasi Mukhe Thako/... Bongo Rongo hok sob lok hese nik Jantranoteo (Live with a smile/ live with a smiling face. Even in pain, the people of Bengal should smile)," 62-year-old Kabir Suman said.

"Hasi hok Mukhe Bhaat...abodh sishu o jane chotto hasir mane kon hasi kar/ Hasi te nei khoroch hasi to emnitei mukhe ese jay/ (Let there be smile in the first feeding ceremony of a child...a small kid also knows what smile means. You don't need to spend money for smiling, everybody smiles easily)," said Suman.

"Aiynai mukh dekho aktu haste sekho swabhabik Hasi/ Khocha deoa hasi noy tate sandeho hoy bujhi debe fansi/ (You should see your face in the mirror and learn to laugh normally. No oblique smile, that leads to suspicion that you may be hanged)."

"I am there on Facebook and happy with my smile and sing with a smile. My day will also come, let me sharpen my smile as of now. Stay with a smile," Suman said.

A few days back Suman had penned a song criticising the police action against slum dwellers of Nonadanga in east Kolkata and transfer of police officer Damyanti Sen, who had played a big role in solving the Park Street rape case.

Suman has had a strained relationship with the Trinamool leadership after he raised his voice against alleged corruption among a section of party leaders and openly condemned the joint forces operation in the Maoist-infested districts of the state.

He is credited with having changed the face of modern Bengali music in the 1990s with the 'jeebonmukhi' genre, writing and singing about people and their lives.

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