Chandrabindoo (band)

Chandrabindoo (often spelled Chandrabindu), based in Kolkata, is a Bengali band known for satirical, colloquial lyrics, with references to current affairs and cultural phenomena.

The band is chiefly popular in the Indian city of Kolkata, and in cities like Delhi and Mumbai that have a large expatriate Bengali population.

Name Origin
The band shares its name with the last letter (technically a modifier) of the Bengali alphabet, ◌̐. The name is a reference to a piece of dialogue from Sukumar Ray's হযবরল HaJaBaRaLa, a well-known work of literary nonsense in Bengali.

বেড়াল বলল, “বেড়ালও বলতে পার, রুমালও বলতে পার, চন্দ্রবিন্দুও বলতে পার।” আমি বললাম, “চন্দ্রবিন্দু কেন?”

শুনে বেড়ালটা “তাও জানো না?” বলে এক চোখ বুজে ফ্যাচ্‌ফ্যাচ্ করে বিশ্রীরকম হাসতে লাগল। আমি ভারি অপ্রস্তুত হয়ে গেলাম। মনে হল, ঐ চন্দ্রবিন্দুর কথাটা নিশ্চয় আমার বোঝা উচিত ছিল। তাই থতমত খেয়ে তাড়াতাড়ি বলে ফেললাম, “ও হ্যাঁ-হ্যাঁ, বুঝতে পেরেছি।”

বেড়ালটা খুশি হয়ে বলল, “হ্যাঁ, এ তো বোঝাই যাচ্ছে— চন্দ্রবিন্দুর চ, বেড়ালের তালব্য শ, রুমালের মা— হল চশমা। কেমন, হল তো?”

The cat said "You can call me a cat, or a handkerchief, or even a chandrabindoo". "Why a chandrabindoo?" I asked.

"Can't you tell?" said the cat, winking and sniggering in a most irritating way. I was taken aback. Perhaps I ought to have known about the chandrabindoo, I thought. "Ah!" I said quickly. "I understand".

"Of course you do,"said the Cat, pleased. "‘cha’ for chandrabindoo, ‘sha’ for birāl (cat), and ‘mā’ for rumāl (handkerchief) - that spells ‘chashma’(spectacles) Simple, isn't it?"

Early days
The band faced many problems during the production of their first album Aar Jani Na, having to produce their demo with the help of an out-of-date sound mixer. It was released in 1998, and got a lukewarm response. However, they came to the attention of Gautam Chattopadhyay of Mohiner Ghoraguli, and he recommended them to Asha Audio, who released their second album Gadha. The first public live show of Chandrabindoo was held in Gyan Manch near Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata.

Band members
and Tirthankar as sound engineer.
 * Upal Sengupta – singer/ music composer/ lead vocal
 * Anindya Chatterjee – singer/ music composer/ lead vocal
 * Chandril Bhattacharya – lyricist/music composer/ vocal
 * Arup Podder – bassist
 * Surojit Mukherjee – guitarist/ arranger
 * Rajshekhar Kundu – drummer
 * Sibabrata Biswas aka Sibu – keyboardist
 * Sourabh – percussionist

Former members
Chandrabindoo's former members include Subrato Lodh, Subrato Ghosh, Sukhendu, Subhendu, Debapriyo, Tennie, Lintu, Santanu, Arindam, Pritam, Dron Acharya, Riju, Kallol, Rajesh, Riddhi, Chandan, Papa, Jisshu Sengupta, Neepabeethi Ghosh, Lopamudra Mitra.

Discography
Studio Albums


 * Aar Jani Na (আর জানি না, Lit: Don't Know Any More) (1997), T-Series
 * Gadha (গাধা, Lit: Donkey) (1998), Asha Audio
 * Twaker Jatna Nin (ত্বকের যত্ন নিন, Lit: Take Care Of Your Skin) (1999), Asha Audio
 * Chaw (চ, Lit: Let's Go) (2001), Asha Audio
 * Daknam (ডাকনাম, Lit: Nickname) (2002), Sony BMG
 * Juju (জুজু, Lit: The Bugbear) (2003), Sony Music
 * Hulabila (হুলাবিলা, Lit: Hullabaloo) (2005), Sagarika
 * U/A (ইউ/এ, Lit: U/A) (2008), BIG Music
 * Noy (নয়, Lit: Nine) (2012), Kaleidoscope

Compilation Albums


 * Chandrabindaas (চন্দ্রবিন্দাস, Lit: Chandrabindoo is Bindaas) (2005)
 * Ebhabeo Phire Asha Jae (এভাবেও ফিরে আসা যায়, Lit: Even that's a Comeback) (2005)
 * Bachhai 11 (বাছাই ১১, Lit: Selected 11) (2006)
 * Sera Chandrabindoo (সেরা চন্দ্রবিন্দু, Lit: Best Of Chandrabindoo) (2008)

Other work
They made their first international tour in July 2015, when they performed in London in aid of the Kolkata-based Child In Need Institute (CINI). Chandrabindoo is the official brand ambassador for CINI ASHA.