In Bangladesh, public buses are a huge thing. Almost every metropolitan city in the country has many public bus services. Colloquially, they have been known as 'Murir Tin' since they take in a lot of passengers and, due to worn equipment, they shake a lot while going through the roads, making a rattling sound, more so when the roads themselves are full of holes and rough patches, something which is pretty much ubiquitous throughout the country.
Coke Studio Bangla started its second season with a song titled 'Murir Tin,' where the lyrics are supposed to represent the scenario on such a public bus. What is more interesting is that the song is written in three different dialects of Bangla, Sylhet, Chittagong, and Khulna, where the former are often regarded as separate languages.
The vocalists for the regional languages of Chittagong, Sylhet, and Khulna are Riad Hasan, Pollob, and Towfique Ahmed, respectively, who are the natives of those respective regions.
The Chatgaiya language is the most widely used vocabulary, making it an instant fan favorite among the Chatgaiyas, with Riad Hasan making headlines in the country's music arena.
Not many songs have examined the linguistic and dialectic variety within Bangladesh, and 'Murir Tin' is one of the very first in this regard, with the melodious and sing-songy tone along with the rustic peculiarities of the specific dialects making it something that is quintessentially Bangladeshi.
Not even many years ago, when following the Calcatian trend was the norm among the cultural elites of the country, Bengali culture and the use of Bengali vernaculars idiosyncratic to East Bengal were slowly but surely making their mark in the popular cultural arena of the country, with 'Murir Tin' being the finest example so far.
'Murir Tin' also used some cultural aspects specific to the dialects' regions, like "Chui-Jhal er Gosh," which is a delicacy specific to Khulna and the most notable example. The genre-mixing of rap with a simple melody is also unique, which adds to the flair of the song.
The song has become an instant favorite among Bangladeshis, and rightly so.
The song, however, has also sparked an age-old debate regarding whether Sylheti and Chatgaiya can be considered dialectical varieties of Bangla or languages in their own right, with the release of the song being a confidence booster for the native speakers of the language.
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