"Sri Radha" and the reasons for disappointment

In my recent visit to Cuttack, I, almost, snatched the CD from Rabi Satpathy, a well known radio artist in Orissa who is blessed with a husky and resonant voice. He’d lent his voice by reciting acclaimed long poem of Ramakanta Rath’s: Sri Radha. In fact, I was disappointed while listening intently to his reading which was followed after brief say by the poet himself. Though it was a maiden and novel venture by the producer of the CD, I have ten reasons for my discontentment:


1-Why a male voice is taken for a protagonist (Radha) that’s such a prominent character in Indian mythology? .

2-Lack of modulation in the voice is creating fatigue in the reader. In certain places in CD, it’s felt that the narrator is delivering dialogue of a play, not reciting a poem.

3-The recitation fails the listener to be unmoved .May be the text of the poem is equally responsible as a single situation is repeated although the poem.

4- The voice could have been the poem itself. I realized this while listening Indian poets like Sudeep Sen’s Prayer Flag ,Usha Akella’s –If Kali Dance,So Do I….. and Brian Mendoca’s –‘The Last Bus to Vasco. They have read their poems and created the magical impact.

5-Sri Radha has 61 chapters .Each chapter denote its own time and space. But the audio version hardly leaves any scope to identify this aspect.

6-The existence of flute playing remains insignificant in a reading of about 45 minutes. This could have been as interlude between two chapters of the poem.
7-Ramakanta Rath’s short address had no lasting impact on the listener. He could have been better used..

8-A female voice, more appropriately, or the voice of the poet himself could have been used for posterity

9-Rabi Satpathy has proved his ability as an experimental radio-play director .Where did his acumen and presentation style goes?
10 -The last impact is most important: it should create and recreate music in within. The reading could have been soulful. The voice could have been the poem itself.

 I’m sure, in spite of all points I made, sensible listeners and passionate lovers of poem by Ramakant Rath, will find hundred reasons or more to like this CD and crave for a copy of it.



Kudos to Rabi Satpathy and the team.