From crackling records to digital voices: Bengal’s evolving sound of stories - GetBengal Story

Bengal has a long existence as an incubator for exhibitions of the arts, culture, poetry and storytelling. From Tagore to Girish Ghosh, from baul geets to contemporary plays — a Bengali has always found joy in the listening and telling of stories, where it is a form of entertainment, but also a style of living and a part of his soul. Bengalis have always believed that stories are what connect one heart to another, and what preserve the cultures of past generations.

In earlier times, prior to the popularization of mobile phones or televisions, families would gather in the evenings, talking or listening to some stories or music on the gramophone. The gramophone was a prized item - often preserved and housed in the living room as if it was treasure. The big black records would rotate slowly as the golden needle dropped and soft crackling sounds surrounded the room before the music began. These were more than just sounds; they were the voices of legends - Rabindranath Tagore, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay - the list goes on. This was not simply a way to listen to songs or music; it was emotional, or nostalgic, or it cultivated experiences.

For numerous Bengali families, the gramophone stood at the center of their evenings filled with stories and music. The family would come together, take tea, discuss the lyrics, or fall simply asleep together with their eyes shut. Listening was a communal pleasure for families.

However, time does not stand still. As years progressed, new kinds of technologies emerged in our lives. Radio, cassette tapes, and CDs became part of Bengal's music culture. Finally came the biggest shift — the internet. Everything changed overnight. Music, poetry, news, and storytelling all moved online. People no longer had to wait on records or cassettes; everything was available simply with a click.

Then arrived the podcast - the contemporary manifestation of storytelling. A podcast is, in many respects, akin to today’s gramophone - a venue for listening to voice, feeling, and ideas. The only difference? It’s digital, portable, and accessible for everyone, everywhere and anytime. People can listen to stories on the go, while they’re cooking, and even while they’re going to sleep. Podcasts are part of Bengal’s daily life. Crime stories, romantic stories, literary discussions on Bengali novels, and even motivational podcasts are successfully being streamed.

At the same time, podcasts are similarly a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that podcasts have made storytelling more democratic. Anyone with a phone and a notion can be a storyteller. The platform has given way to important young voices, creative thinkers, and dreamers. But the curse is the loss of togetherness. In days past, people listened to stories collectively — families sat together, laughed together, and had discussions about what they heard together — all in the same room. Now, most people listen individually, in their head, as they listen through their earphones. The magic of experiencing the story together has slowly disappeared.

The spirit of Bengal still beats to the same drum cadence. New tools may be used — from the gramophone to the radio to the podcast — but it's always the same spirit. The love of sound, of stories, of words, lives on. Because this is a land of never-ending stories; they simply get told in a new way.