| "Ekla Cholo Re" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Language | Bengali |
| Published | September 1905 |
| Genre | Rabindra Sangeet |
| Songwriter(s) | Rabindranath Tagore |
| Composer(s) | Rabindranath Tagore |
| "Ekla Chôlo Re" | |
|---|---|
 Tagore c. 1905, the year he wrote "Akla Cholo Re" | |
| Single by Rabindranath Tagore[1] | |
| from the album Record no 357[1] | |
| Released | sometime between 1905 and 1908[1] |
| Label | H. Bose Swadeshi Records[1] |
| Songwriter(s) | Rabindranath Tagore |
| This album is now lost. | |
Jôdi Tor Dak Shune Keu Na Ase Tôbe Ekla Chôlo Re ("If no one responds to your call, then go your own way alone"[2]), commonly known as Ekla Chôlo Re, is a Bengali patriotic song written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905.[2]
Originally titled as "EKLA", the song was first published in the September 1905 issue of Bhandar magazine.[1] It was based and influenced by the Vaishnavite song Harinaam Diye Jagat Matale Amar Ekla Nitai Re, which was a popular Bengali Kirtan song of Dhapkirtan[1] or Manoharshahi gharana[3] praising Nityananda, disciple of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.[1] Ekla Chalo Re was incorporated in the "Swadesh" (Homeland) section of Tagore's lyrical anthology Gitabitan.[1]
The song exhorts the listener to continue their journey, despite abandonment or lack of support from others. It is often quoted in the context of sociopolitical change movements and was a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi.[4][5]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Mukhopadhyay, Suren (2009) [2001]. Rabindra-Sangeet-Kosh [Encyclopedia of Rabindranath Tagore’s Songs] (in Bengali) (2nd ed.). Kolkata: Sahitya Prakash. p. 290.
- ^ a b Som, Reba (2009). Rabindranath Tagore: The Singer and His Song (1st ed.). New Delhi: Penguin Books India. p. 254. ISBN 978-0-670-08248-3.
- ^ Basu Mallick, Dr Ashis (2004). Rabindranather Bhanga Gaan [Transcreated Songs of Rabindranath Tagore] (in Bengali) (1st ed.). Kolkata: Pratibhas. p. 166.
- ^ "Rabindranath Tagore". Germany: Embassy of India Berlin. Archived from the original on 20 April 2008. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- ^ Monish R. Chatterjee:Sadhaka of Universal Man, Baul of Infinite Songs. "Rabindranath Tagore". Rochester, NY, USA: Bengali Association of Greater Rochester. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011.