fact I was, while composing
it, saturated with the mood of song.

The enthusiasm which went to the making of _Valmiki Pratibha_ and _Kal
Mrigaya_ I have never felt for any other work of mine. In these two the
creative musical impulse of the time found expression.

My brother, Jyotirindra, was engaged the live-long day at his piano,
refashioning the classic melodic forms at his pleasure. And, at every
turn of his instrument, the old modes took on unthought-of shapes and
expressed new shades of feeling. The melodic forms which had become
habituated to their pristine stately gait, when thus compelled to march
to more lively unconventional measures, displayed an unexpected agility
and power; and moved us correspondingly. We could plainly hear the tunes
speak to us while Akshay Babu and I sat on either side fitting words to
them as they grew out of my brother's nimble fingers. I do not claim
that our _libretto_ was good poetry but it served as a vehicle for the
tunes.

In the riotous joy of this revolutionary activity were these two musical
plays composed, and so they danced merrily to every measure, whether or
not technically correct, indifferent as to the tunes being homelike or
foreign.

On many an occasion has the Bengali reading public been grievously
exercised over some opinion or literary form of mine, but it is curious
to find that the daring with which I had played havoc with accepted
musical notions did not rouse any resentment; on the contrary those who
came to hear departed pleased. A few of Akshay Babu's compositions find
place in the _Valmiki Pratibha_ and also adaptations from Vihari
Chakravarti's _Sarada Mangal_ series of songs.

I used to take the leading part in the performance of these musical
dramas. From my early years I had a taste for acting, and firmly
believed that I had a special aptitude for it. I think I proved that my
belief was not ill-founded. I had only once before done the part of
Aleek Babu in a farce written by my brother Jyotirindra. So these were
really my first attempts at acting. I was then very young and nothing
seemed to fatigue or trouble my voice.

In our house, at the time, a cascade of musical emotion was gushing
forth day after day, hour after hour, its scattered spray reflecting
into our being a whole gamut of rainbow colours. Then, with the
freshness of youth, our new-born energy, impelled by its virgin
curiosity, struck out new paths in every direction. We felt we woul