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Suchitra Mitra | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | (1924-09-19)19 September 1924 |
| Died | 3 January 2011(2011-01-03) (aged 86) Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Genres | Playback singing,Rabindrasangeet |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1941–2011 |
Suchitra Mitra (19 September 1924 – 3 January 2011) was an Indian singer, composer, artist exponent ofRabindra Sangeet or the songs ofBengal's poet laureateRabindranath Tagore, professor, and the first womanSheriff of Kolkata. As an academic, she remained a professor and the Head ofRabindra Sangeet Department at theRabindra Bharati University until 1984. Mitra was aplayback singer inBengali films (and acted in some as well)[1] and was associated for many years with theIndian People's Theatre Association.
Mitra studied at theScottish Church College, theUniversity of Calcutta and atVisva-Bharati University in West Bengal, India. She was also theSheriff of Kolkata (2001).[2] After prolonged illness Mitra died of a cardiac ailment on 3 January 2011, inKolkata.
Mitra's father, the celebrated littérateur, Saurindra Mohan Mukherjee, was a close associate of theTagore family ofJorasanko.[citation needed] Suchitra Mitra's natural aptitude in music was recognised byPankaj Mullick, who gave her a first lesson in Rabindra Sangeet.[citation needed] From her childhood, as the youngest member of her family, Suchitra cultivated her love for the songs and poetry ofTagore. She had an unerring ear for music and a natural gift of voice and expression. She was born in a running train near station Gujhandi, so her nickname was Goju.
In 1941, Suchitra Mitra received a scholarship toSangit Bhavana inSantiniketan, where she learntRabindra Sangeet from some of the greatest teachers –Indira Devi Chaudhurani,Santidev Ghosh, andSailajaranjan Majumdar. Having obtained her diploma from Santiniketan, Suchitra Mitra returned to Calcutta in 1945. In 1946, she earned her degree fromScottish Church College of theUniversity of Calcutta.[3] In the same year, she co-foundedRabitirtha along with Dwijen Chowdhury[4] (the name Rabitirtha was coined by renowned historian and Tagore scholar Professor Kalidas Nag).[5] Under Suchitra's leadership, Rabitirtha emerged as one of the leading schools of Rabindra Sangeet (in Kolkata). Founder and Principal, Suchitra Mitra was an active figure and inspiration behind this establishment. Her dedication, sincerity and comprehension of the subtle nuances underlying Tagore's songs is indeed praiseworthy.[6]
Suchitra was an exponent and an interpreter of Tagore's musical compositions. Her other interests includedperforming arts, including theatrical performances, film-acting, painting, etc. Mitra producedRabindra Nritya Natyas (or Tagore's dance dramas); she had acted and danced in many of them. She also acted in stage-plays/dance-drama likeValmiki Pratibha and in films likeDahan directed by Rituparno Ghosh. Her other intellectual pursuits included: reciting poetry, writing short stories, poems and children's rhymes, publishing essays and books on more thought-provoking subjects, such as the grammar and techniques involved in rendering Rabindra Sangeet or on the aesthetics of the music of Tagore. Her greatest achievements may have been her ability to immortalise Tagore's songs both at home and abroad to people of all ages. Invited to theUSSR andHungary, Mitra spread the message of Tagore to the western audience. With theRabitirtha troupe, she performed Tagore's dance dramas in the US and Canada. She was the author of many books in Bengali on Rabindra Sangeet, and had recently directed her efforts towards compiling an encyclopaedia of Tagore's songs for students and researchers. Suchitra Mitra's repertoire and expertise, coupled with her ability to inculcate in others the love of Rabindra Sangeet, establishes her as one of the notable names in the world of performing arts in India. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan recognises her as his guide into the world of Rabindrasangeet.[7]
Suchitra was considered to be one of the most versatile exponents of Rabindra Sangeet, and in recognition thereof she was awarded thePadma Shri by theGovernment of India in 1974. Together withKanika Bandopadhyay,Debabrata Biswas andHemanta Mukhopadhyay, she formed the Golden Quartet of Rabindrasangeet who popularised the compositions of Rabindranath Tagore and left an indelible impression in the fields of arts and culture.
Her reputation as a successful artiste resulted in her appointment as lecturer inRabindra Bharati University, where she held the prestigious office of Head of the Department of Music. She also succeeded Pankaj Mullick in Sangeet Sikshar Asar – a very popular programme of Akashvani – a tutorial on Rabindrasangeet that was broadcast live. In recognition of her creative talents, Suchitra Mitra received numerous accolades. Some of Mitra's notable awards included.
She was conferred 3 honorary D.Litt. degrees by theRabindra Bharati University, theUniversity of Burdwan andJadavpur University. As aforementioned, Mitra was also the recipient of the Desikottama (or honoraryD.Litt) of theVisva-Bharati University, which is regarded as the pinnacle of recognition in the genre of Rabindra Sangeet.
She retired in 1984 from Rabindra Bharati University as a professor and the Head of Rabindra Sangeet Department.[8]
Her presence has been an inspiration to younger generations of artists who wish to master the art of Tagore.
She has been the subject of multiple biographic documentary films. One of them, titledSuchitra Mitra (1993)[9] byRaja Sen, went on to win theNational Film Award forBest Cultural Film.[10]In 1989 Subroto Ghosh made a documentary on her entitledSuchitra Mitra....the Other Documentary which was a non-biographical work and which tried to bring out the artiste in her that had blossomed imbibing Tagore's philosophy. This film was shown in the Bombay International Film Festival for Short Films & Documentaries. She was awarded Rabindra-Tattwacharya by Tagore Research Institute, Kolkata.
She became the first female Sheriff of Kolkata in 2001.
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